DELIVERY driver John Beasant is furious after picking up a parking summons in Salisbury timed at precisely the same time as his valid parking ticket.

Mr Beasant, who lives in Swindon and works for a Bristol company, stopped his van in Fisherton Street, Salisbury, on Thursday afternoon.

He walked the 20 yards or so to a ticket machine, paid for one hour's parking and placed the ticket on the windscreen.

But he returned to his van well within the hour, only to find a parking summons on his windscreen.

He told the Journal: "I looked at the summons and saw it was timed at 2.21pm, exactly the same time as my parking ticket showed.

"I was only a few seconds getting my ticket and did not see an ambassador and there was no summons on my van when I put my ticket inside the windscreen.

"Where did he or she come from, and how can they book me at 2.21pm when there is a parking ticket also timed at 2.21pm?

"Something is not right here.

"At 2.21pm I was covered by the ticket I had just bought."

Mr Beasant said he had contacted the council but had been told they "did not accept" his reasons.

A spokeswoman for the council said the penalty charge notice was issued because Mr Beasant's van was parked in a pay-and-display bay without a valid ticket on display.

In a statement, the council said: "It was issued at 14.21 and two digital images were taken to support the notice.

"Mr Beasant has subsequently produced a pay and display ticket showing a purchase time of also 14.21.

"As this ticket was not seen in the vehicle at the time the penalty charge was issued and served, this representation was not accepted."

The spokeswoman said the ambassador's hand-held terminals have an internal clock, which creates the date and time, and the ambassador cannot alter the clock.

The statement said: "The ambassador was in Fisherton Street from at least 14.20 until around 14.28 and in that time did not see Mr Beasant return to the vehicle to display the ticket."

Mr Beasant said that, although the council had said it would not accept his representations, he would be taking the matter further.