Traffic warden slaps row of cars with parking tickets in awkward blunder – but who’s in the wrong?
RETRO cars used as props for a new film starring Daniel Day-Lewis have been slapped with parking tickets in Chester.
The 1980s vehicles were parked along double-yellow lines on a road the council refused to close for the film crew.
Chester and Cheshire West Council rejected the application claiming the filming would be “too disruptive” for residents.
Despite this, Day-Lewis’ son Ronan who is directing the film, decided to go ahead with shooting and used the late 20th-century motors for the backdrop.
The film, made by Focus Features will also star Sean Bean and Samantha Morton.
Photos taken by locals show yellow parking tickets stuck on the windscreens of the cars in Handbridge – including a Ford Escort van.
The cars had 1986 paper licence disks were even put in the car windows and road signs were removed to fit the era.
Graham Gordon, who runs the Handbridge Life Facebook page, insists the council sent wardens down to “ticket every vehicle”.
He told MailOnline: “On hearing that filming was happening today without the relevant permits, they (Cheshire Council) sent their Traffic Warden down with the express instruction to ticket every vehicle.”
Matt Carter, a councillor for the Handbridge Park ward, said the full road closure was refused as it would be “too disruptive”.
He pointed out that combined with other closures in the area for roadworks, the filming would leave residents “cut off.”
“On the basis of the overall disruption it would cause, they said no on this occasion,” he told The Guardian.
“[The film company] hadn’t applied to suspend parking restrictions in that area so wardens were sent to ticket the cars in the same way they would for any vehicle,” he added.
The councillor explained that a separate request had been issued for parking film trucks had been granted – but that didn’t include the vintage cars.
He posted a statement from the council on social media that said: “Cheshire West is a film-friendly borough and supports where possible all filming in partnership with the national film office. Careful consideration is always given to each request and in this case, not all of the production requests could be permitted as they would have put too much pressure on the busy roads.”
Day-Lewis took a break from his retirement to work on the US independent film, which will “explore the intricate relationships between fathers, sons and brothers, and the dynamics of familial bonds.”
The 67-year-old stepped away from the limelight and said he would “no longer be working as an actor” after starring in Phantom Thread in 2017.
Fully supporting his son’s venture, he also agreed to co-write the film.
It’s not known if Day-Lewis and his famous co-stars were on set when the wardens swarmed the road, but they have been spotted on location around the north-west in recent days.
The Sun has approached Cheshire West and Chester council for comment.