Traffic warden sticks ticket on car unaware driver was dead in back seat

LONDON - A traffic warden in Britain is said to have stuck a ticket on an illegally parked car unaware that the driver lay dead on the back seat.

The grey 4×4 was issued with a fine for overstaying the limit at a pay-and-display car park close to the River Cam in central Cambridge.

But after issuing a ticket the Cambridgeshire County Council warden noticed the vehicle’s owner was slumped on the back seat.

Police called to the scene found the man, who was in his 50s, dead, and they erected an evidence tent at the scene while forensics officers examined the car, after which the body was removed.

Phillip Hammer, the Cambridgeshire County Council parking manager, revealed that the warden who found the man was “disturbed” by what had happened.

“What you have to do is look in the car to see if there is a ticket displayed. He didn’t see anyone in there at first and then he realised there was someone slumped in the back seat,” the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.

“He is very disturbed by what happened,” he added.

Another traffic warden patrolling near the scene, who refused to give his name, confirmed that the attendant involved was shocked at his discovery.

“I heard the call come in on the radio. He is really shaken up by it. The thing is, we are not allowed to wake people up in their cars if they are asleep in case we give them a heart attack,” he stated.

It is believed the man, who has yet to be named, had been Christmas shopping in the city centre and could have suffered a heart attack after returning to his vehicle. (ANI)