Never miss a thing from Belfast and beyond - sign up for FREE updates direct to your email inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A Ferrari driver from Antrim is raging that his appeal against a parking fines was refused after he left his vehicle between two parking bays - having bought tickets for both.

Kevin McWhinney parked the £143,000 red Italian supercar on Church Road in Antrim at 4.18pm on September 27, 2017.

He bought two tickets at the same time, one to cover each space.

He did it because he says the car is very valuable - and also quite wide for a standard space - and he has had previous experience of his vehicles being damaged when parked in single spaces.

Mr McWhinney was fined £90 for 'Not parking wholly within the markings of the bay/space'.

When he appealed the fine to the Department for Infrastructure his request was refused.

(Image: Kevin McWhinney)

"Unfortunately after consideration of the circumstances I have found no grounds for cancellation of the charge," a letter from the unnamed Parking Enforcement Processing manager said.

"The PCN was correctly issued. Your vehicle was not parked completely within a marked bay. Article 5 of the of the Off-Street Parking Order (Northern Ireland) states: "The driver of a vehicle shall not permit it to wait in a parking space other than in a position wholly within a parking Bay where such has been marked."

(Image: Kevin McWhinney)

Mr McWhinney says the reason for the appeal is not for the sake of the £90, but is about seeking common sense, reports the Mirror .

"It's about not wanting to get dents in the car," said the Managing Director of McWhinney's Sausages.

"I previously had a BMW that was dented in a hotel car park and the hotel paid for the repairs in the end.

"But since then I have always done this - paid for two spaces - and this is the first time I have ever been fined for doing it in 15 or 20 years.

(Image: Kevin McWhinney)

"I try to fight for public rights on certain issues so they don't have to swallow this crap, but in this instance I'm fighting for my own right.

"Where can I park my car safely without being fined?"

A standard parking space is around 2.4 metres wide and 4.8 metres long. A Ferrari California, which costs around £143,000 new, is 1.9 metres wide and 4.6m long.