Motorist Stuart Pinkus is challenging the legality of a set of double yellow lines after getting three parking tickets on them. He says they aren't clear enough.

Brighton and Hove City Council has agreed to investigate and hold off court action until a decision is made on the restrictions.

Mr Pinkus, 33, who drives a van for a wholesale butcher, picked up two £30 parking tickets for stopping on a set of double yellow lines in Donald Hall Road, Brighton.

Mr Pinkus, a qualified mechanic, failed to pay the tickets on time because he believed the lines were no longer in operation.

He says residents' parking bays had been painted over them and signposts put up saying they were parking bays.

Mr Pinkus, of Broad Green, Woodingdean, ignored the two tickets. Within months he received county court summonses.

However, he wrote to Brighton and Hove City Council to challenge the tickets, saying the bay markings had been painted over making the double yellows non-enforceable.

He said: "Brighton council has been lazy. Instead of burning off the double yellow lines and finishing the job properly, they just painted the bays over the yellow lines.

"One of my mates parked in a bay and got a ticket for doing it because the yellow lines are still there."

Mr Pinkus received a letter from Brighton and Hove City Council on December 19 saying the lines and the issuing of the two parking tickets were being investigated.

He also received a third ticket on Thursday for parking on the lines on the same road.

He said: "I'm not paying these tickets out of principle. They should sort the lines out and do things properly."

A council spokeswoman said: "An engineer is going to inspect the road markings to see exactly what the situation is. No action will be taken against Mr Pinkus while this inspection is taking place and investigated."