Copy of a letter addressed to Carrick district council: On Saturday, February 17, my wife and I took our student son to dinner at a restaurant in Falmouth and we parked in the Grove Place car park at about 7.45pm. I make the point that this was mid-evening on a cold night in mid-February. Had it been summer, I would not be writing this letter.

It never, for one moment, occurred to me that there would be a charge for using the car park at that time of night, at the nadir of the low season. There was an abundance of parking in the area and there was unrestricted free parking on the road outside. I saw no signs within the car park advising the need to pay at that time of night and the drivers of the cars alongside mine obviously shared my logical analysis of the situation.

When we returned to our car, I was amazed to find that we had all been given parking tickets.

I should like to know by what warped logic you feel (a) the need to charge for parking on quiet, cold winter evenings and (b) why you felt the need to force a council employee to perform the utterly spurious task of handing out parking tickets under these circumstances. It defies all logic (well, certainly in the real world!). I can only assume that there is some perverse little councillor, or employee, from an unhappy childhood, who holds a grudge against the people of Falmouth and their visitors.

When replying, you may find it helpful to complete the following sentence: "We do not feel that we are mean, greedy, money-grabbing little maggots because "

Sadly, I have to pay the £30 fine. if I attempt to appeal it they will automatically charge me £60. That's local democracy for you.

R Gregory, Rotherhill Road, Crowborough, East Sussex