WINDOW fitters are threatening to take the city council to court over alleged harassment by traffic wardens.

Meanwhile a councillor has claimed the authority lets national firms such as BT Openreach park on double yellow lines free but pounces on local traders.

Daniel Butler, of Sussex Sash Window Restoration, told The Argus: “We have been subject to constant harassment from traffic wardens and the people that work in the council offices stating we have to prove that we are working with glass even though we are exempt under the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974.”

“At the council offices they have told us that they don’t care what Government regulations are and if you are parking illegally then you will have a ticket enforced.

“We are a glazing company that deals with the public, not shop fronts, and usually our work is an emergency or something that could endanger the public.

“We can’t walk down the street carrying big sheets of glass.”

He said glaziers, like scaffolders, have dispensation to park immediately adjacent to the property they are working on for safety reasons.

He has written to Brighton and Hove City Council to challenge his tickets, promising to take the matter to court if needs be.

A council spokeswoman said: “We always encourage anyone who feels they have been unfairly issued with a parking ticket to appeal.”

Last month Councillor Robert Nemeth told the transport committee that plumbers, gas engineers and other tradesmen believed there was “a disparity in parking enforcement procedures”.

He said local traders including those on emergency call-outs experienced strict enforcement, while national firms like BT doing work with no safety element were allowed to park illegally for hours on end.

Committee chairwoman Councillor Gill Mitchell replied that trader permits allow for parking on double yellows if vehicles are parked near the work site and guarded appropriately.

She said national firms have to pay for parking bays to be suspended and do receive penalty charge notices.

Cllr Nemeth said yesterday: “I was very disappointed with the response.

“I hoped the administration would acknowledge there is a problem for local traders who after all pay for the trader parking scheme.”

Trader permits are available at a cost of £700 per year.