A VOLUNTEER has spoken of his anger after council chiefs refused to waive parking tickets he missed while he was in Pakistan.

Steve Waters, 52, of Saltdean, returned from volunteering for Medecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Boundaries) to find his car had been sold by bailiffs over two unpaid parking tickets.

He came home expecting to see his red Hyundai Coupe outside his house, only to find out it had been sold by Brighton and Hove City Council over tickets Mr Waters said he knew nothing about.

The construction worker – who had taken time out of work to volunteer – lodged a complaint but was told the council had acted lawfully.

He said: “I couldn’t believe it. They knew I wasn’t in the country and I couldn’t contact them from Pakistan.

“They don’t have postmen out where I was because they have been shot dead.

“The only time I was outside the hospital was when I was in transport, because if I went out alone I would have been shot or kidnapped.

“The council is meant to be there to serve the people who pay council tax.

“They say they have done everything above board, but it’s not about right or wrong. It’s about raising cash for them and getting money out of the taxpayer.”

“If they had waited four weeks I could have paid it off and I would still have a car, but they didn’t. It’s just a joke. “ Mr Waters was in charge of the ambulances, security, transport, communications, water and power at the hospital in one of the most hostile areas of Pakistan.

A council spokeswoman said: “Although Mr Waters was abroad for several months, his car was not unattended.

“The council acted in good faith, and had our parking team been informed of the circumstances earlier, this situation could have been prevented.

“The subsequent complaints process involved a thorough investigation of both the parking and bailiff enforcement teams, both of which were found to have acted correctly in recovering the debt to settle unpaid parking notices.

“The ombudsman has informed Mr Waters’ that her office will not investigate his complaint because he has taken it through the courts which found the council acted correctly.”