TOWN hall officials have been accused of replacing a “no parking” sign in a lay-by AFTER they fined a taxi driver for stopping there.

Cabbie John Walker, 37, pulled into the bus stop on Tuckton Road, Bournemouth, to drop off an elderly customer after checking there weren’t any warning notices up.

He was captured by Bournemouth Borough Council’s camera car that drives around detecting illegally parked motorists.

When Mr Walker was sent a £70 fine he went back to the scene to double check there weren’t any signs and took a photo to prove it.

But the council then sent him a photo of a “no parking” sign at the scene. It acknowledges the sign may have been stolen and replaced but says there is no evidence it was missing when Mr Walker was ticketed on July 21.

Mr Walker said: “I just feel what they have done is very underhand and sneaky.

“Why can’t they just do the right thing and admit they got it wrong and give me my money back?”

According to the Department for Transport, cabbies are allowed to pick up and drop off at bus stops unless there are “no parking” signs.

Mr Walker said he is now taking the matter to a tribunal.

He added: “That is more wasted time and money at the taxpayers’ expense but I am prepared to go through with it because they are in the wrong.”

Gerry Bolland, parking and enforcement manager at Bournemouth Borough Council, said: “It is not disputed that the signage was missing on August 13 when his photograph was taken.

“Signs are stolen and vandalised from time to time and on each and every occasion this happens our maintenance team replace the signage as soon as detected.

“There is no evidence to show that there was not a sign in place on the date the penalty charge notice was issued to the driver for parking in the bus stop.”