Taxi driver landed with huge bill after 'going too far' when trying to stop neighbours parking outside his house

Daily Mail​

13-05-2025

A taxi driver has infuriated his neighbours after illegally painting red lines on the road outside his house to stop people parking there.
Altaf 'Tiger' Patel was spotted drawing a single 27ft line by hand with a paintbrush to prevent other cars blocking the entrance to his driveway in Audley, Blackburn.
Mr Patel who is also a councillor for Little Harwood and Daisyfield, said he needed his driveway clear 'at all times' due to his job and complained that people parking in front of his home had become 'an ongoing issue'.
The 55-year-old claimed the lines were only 'temporary' and was waiting for workers to paint the official lines on.
But he still received significant backlash from residents on St Thomas Street, who accused him of thinking he was 'above the law'.
Amin Kapadi, who is a councillor for the neighbouring Audrey and Queens Park ward, also claimed Mr Patel had undermined the public's trust, saying the lines were 'not only inappropriate but also potentially hazardous'.
He was forced to remove the markings after just fours days after receiving an email from Blackburn Council. He was later filmed scraping the red lines off the road surface outside his home.
He has since had to pay council workers almost £3,000 to add a legal drop kerb and paint an official H-bar line - a driveway protection marking.
One of the red lines can be seen outside Mr Patel's house. He claimed the lines were only 'temporary' and was waiting for workers to paint the official lines on
Mr Patel said: 'It was a genuine mistake - nobody has been placing themselves above the law. There have been issues with people parking in front of the property.
'Due to being a taxi driver, I need access to the property at all times, and this has been an ongoing issue
'People have been parking in front of the house. My daughter has recently passed her test, and she bought a car and also needs access to the driveway.'
'I had originally painted the red lines to mark out where the official lines should go, in case I was not home when work was due to come. It was only temporary.'
The red lines were originally painted in December 2024 but the work rectify including the drop kerb has only been done recently.
Cllr Patel said he had paid £2,956 for the new markings and the drop kerb - he applied to the council for the alterations.
The new line is used to protect driveway access by reminding drivers that it is an access point which should not be parked across.
The new official works prompted a fellow councillor and a nearby resident to call for the council to investigate the actions.
A council spokesperson said Cllr Patel was contacted regarding the red lines, but confirmed the further work was legal and the councillor had paid for these services, just like any other citizen.
A woman who lives in the area and asked to remain anonymous said nobody should be painting red lines on public roads outside their home.
She said: 'He should not have done that in the first place.'
A comment provided by Cllr Salim Sidat, on behalf of Audrey and Queens Park Cllr Amin Kapadia, said: 'I was made aware of an incident involving a resident of my ward who took it upon themselves to paint red lines on the public highway outside their property, without any authorisation from the local council.
'It is particularly concerning this individual is also a serving councillor for another ward.
'Actions such as these undermine the public's trust in elected representatives and contravene the standards expected under the Councillors' Code of Conduct.
'[These lines] are not only inappropriate but also potentially hazardous.
'I have full confidence the council will take the appropriate steps to address this matter, and I support a thorough investigation to ensure transparency and accountability.
Carmel Foster-Devine, Head of Highways and Transport for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said: 'Painting red lines on the road outside his house is a highways offence, and Councillor Patel received a formal letter from our highways department instructing him to remove them.
'Councillor Patel applied and paid for both the dropped kerb and the H-bar line painting outside his property, as any resident would be required to.
The council have told that they recently looked into the updated line painting, following a complaint from a neighbour.
They found that the H-bar line painting has been done correctly.