Woman fined for parking on her own land

A shopkeeper was fined for parking in a lay-by – on land she owns.

Sally Robinson was told by council officers that 'only the soil under the road' belongs to her, so now she plans to rip up the tarmac to make sure she does not get any more penalty charges.

The 52-year-old grandmother claims she has been using the privately owned lay-by next to her shop in Lydd, Kent, without any problems for 25 years.

But she had to contact a solicitor when Shepway District Council put down yellow lines and slapped a ticket on her Vauxhall Corsa.

The council claimed it owned the land, but Land Registry documents proved the land belonged to Mrs Robinson.

The council wrote back saying: 'Although you may hold the freehold title to the land, this only extends to the subsoil under the highway.'