While visiting Hove in June this year, I stopped my car in Church Road to assist two ladies with a child in a wheelchair who had almost been run down by a foul-mouthed boy-racer who was refusing to allow them time to cross from one side of the road to the other.

I gave the ladies the number of the car and my phone number in the hope they would report it for dangerous driving.

When I returned to my car, no more than five minutes later, I discovered a parking warden sticking a ticket to my windscreen.

She said I should appeal to the ticket office because she couldn't cancel the ticket.

I duly wrote, explaining the incident and asked for the ticket to be cancelled since it was, after all, an emergency.

I heard nothing more until last month, when a bailiff arrived at my home demanding payment of £282.12 for the unpaid parking fine.

Since I was not at home when he called, he visited me again a few days later.

This time he was claiming £330.58 and telling my neighbour that next time he called he would be accompanied by a police officer who would help him break into my home to seize goods to the value of the fine, plus costs.

I am now having to spend money in an attempt to discover how Brighton and Hove City Council obtained court orders and warrants without warning me of its intentions and without giving me an opportunity to defend my actions.

-Gerald E Howard Stannard Road, Manchester