London parking enforcers carried away

LONDON, May 4 (UPI) -- London's enforcers of parking regulations have reportedly been overzealous, in one case ticketing a hearse while a coffin was being loaded.

Last week, at least one man had his car towed when he was forced to leave it overnight because police investigating a homicide had cordoned off the area, the Daily Mail reported. Simon Bysshe, who was on a date at a local movie theater, had parked in an area that is legal at night but residents-only during the day.

Bysshe said that being unable to get to his car "made a really bad end" to his first date with a young woman. Then, the next morning, he had to pay 200 pounds (around $400) to retrieve his car.

While Bysshe said he found 12 other people at the impound lot who were in his situation, traffic officials say only one other car was affected. They blame the mix-up on a communications breakdown with police and have promised to give Bysshe his money back.

Other examples of over-enthusiasm include a woman who was threatened with a ticket while she was breast-feeding and someone fined for leaving a scooter in a parking space that was re-marked after he parked there.