Driver's sit-in victory over wardens

This is the driver who avoided a £250 parking fine by refusing to leave his car for two-and-a-half hours.

Wardens had loaded the BMW 5 Series onto their truck but gave in and lowered it back down after the man claimed to have been asleep in the back seat and would not get out.

Mr Shah, who would not give his first name, later admitted hopping onto the tow truck and into the driver's seat as the attendants looked the other way. The stand-off then ensued in Beaconsfield-Terrace Road,West Kensington-Mr Shah, a 29-year-old personal trainer, said: "It feels like victory. It would have cost me £250 if they had taken it to the pound."

He admitted he was in the wrong but said he had not understood the parking signs near his house when he parked on a single yellow line at 6pm yesterday.

Restrictions end at 7pm. He said: "My neighbours said they'd loaded my car on to the truck so I jumped in and pretended I had been asleep on the back seat.

"I refused to get out and just sat there reading the paper and listening to music for a couple of hours.

"I even ordered a sandwich from the café over the road.

"The police came around and the owner of the tow company arrived but I was stubborn and in the end they got so frustrated they let me go." It is believed Mr Shah still faces the original £60 parking ticket. A spokeswoman for Hammersmith & Fulham council said: "Our civil enforcement officer was simply doing his job but if there is a complaint we will, of course, investigate thoroughly."