A BUILDER was "surprised and angry" to receive a parking ticket two weeks after he pulled into a restricted parking bay for less than a minute.

Darren Hounslow, 42, was not aware of a CCTV camera filming him as he stopped his car in front of a shop in Chingford Road near the corner of Brookscroft Road, Walthamstow.

There is no sign warning drivers about the camera and Mr Hounslow did not realise he had been caught until a £40 parking fine arrived in the post on Friday, May 6.

He was on his way to work in Woodford when he stopped his car at 7.30am on a weekday morning.

A sign and single yellow line make it clear parking is prohibited before 10am and after 4pm from Monday to Friday.

Mr Hounslow pulled over to make a photocopy of his exemption card for his employer and stopped the car in front of a shop to use the photocopier.

He insists he did not even leave the driver's seat but waited in the car while his friend, a passenger, went inside.

Mr Hounslow, of Lawrence Avenue, Walthamstow, said: "If a warden had come round I would have moved. I wasn't obstructing anything, there's nothing dangerous there and there's a bay marked out to park.

"It's taped so they could even see that I was in the motor.

"If you had just pulled up to look at a map, you would have got a ticket."

He added: "There should be something up there, notification to say there is a camera, because you don't know you're going to get a ticket. It's out of order."

Waltham Forest Council maintains it is not necessary to warn drivers about the camera and those who park illegally have to bear the consequences.

Mr Hounslow admits he stopped illegally and has paid the fine but warns drivers to beware of the camera.

The council claims it is now common practice to issue penalty notices using CCTV, especially around key traffic routes.

The spot where Mr Hounslow stopped his car is right after a bus stop on a busy commuter route and the parking restrictions ensure the buses can easily return to the flow of traffic.

Local authorities claim they are making the most effective use of the cameras which are also used to monitor anti-social behaviour.

On the day Mr Hounslow was caught on camera, 11 parking tickets were issued from illegal parking seen on camera.