by
Autonet Insurance
| Apr 13, 2010
A south London motorist claimed to suffer from shock after seeing a UFO in order to avoid paying a parking fine, new research has found.
Southwark Council claims it received an array of excuses from drivers, including one who blamed residents from outer space.
The driver said he had been left in shock after spotting a UFO and consequently drove into a bus lane.
Another motorist said: "I'm colour blind, so I thought the yellow line was green," while one alleged: "I had to pick up and take an injured dog to the vet and did not want the animal to endure any unnecessary extra pain by limping further to the car".
Other reasons included: "I don't know what the yellow lines mean", and "It was raining. I thought I could park anywhere if the weather was bad".
Gill Davies, director of environment and housing at Southwark Council, said: "The imagination of some of these drivers is quite impressive, but UFOs and colour blindness unfortunately do not count as legitimate reasons to overturn a ticket.
"Our new appeals website will give drivers a much-improved service."
© Press Association 2010