To what ends must we suffer Croydon Council when it comes to parking in Croydon these days?

Has Croydon parking services evolved into a rag-tag band of modern day outlaws, stealing from the taxpayer to give to the rich?

This is not a mindless rant, but rather a criticism. My car was parked, albeit illegally, on a yellow line at the end of my road for an hour, when I returned I found it had been towed without warning at the cost of no less than £250.

I am sure you can agree this fits nicely into a growing trend across the country.

There is no hiding the fact parking enforcement patrols are out to make a swift buck from cars parked in restricted areas. Once a car is spotted, it is issued a ticket and a tow truck is dispatched immediately.

Croydon Council rubs its hands, another easy day's work done. This is not acceptable.

I concede cars in restricted zones should be issued with tickets, but in many cases the owner is not given time to react. As lucratice a business as this is, I am sure you can agree something must be said for this scam.

I pay my council tax every month without question, and it is not cheap. It begs the question, aside from waste collection, where exactly is this money going? It is certainly not being put into anything worthwhile round my area, that is for sure.

Exactly who is benefitting from this blatant cash cow? I suppose I will have to fill out a 10-page form to find out.

Joseph Hickey, Croydon Based on information supplied by Joseph Hickey.