A small business owner has resorted to installing his own CCTV camera in his shop to watch out for a roaming council traffic warden.

Matthew Buckley, the owner of plastic suppliers Abplas in Abbey Parade, Colliers Wood, said Merton Council’s parking department was “designed to entrap” after he was fined £55 for using the loading bay outside his shop without loading or unloading for more than two minutes.

The bay does not contain any signage to indicate a two-minute limit, which Mr Buckley said was a “ridiculous” rule to enforce because it was often impossible to get an item from the shop to the van in that time.

Mr Buckley said: “The two minutes in itself is completely unjust and unworkable for any vehicle carrying out delivery and collection work.

“Couple this with the fact that the vehicle is sign-written with the company name, just shows how far removed the parking department is from serving the community.

It is plain and simple revenue creation. This has nothing to do with the payment of a £55 fine, it is about the creation and covert enforcement of legislation designed to entrap.”

Abplas has been located on the corner of Merton High Street since 1942, and had agreed with the council several years ago to install a loading bay outside its premises, but Mr Buckley said a two-minute rule had never been agreed and he was now considering whether to move out of Merton.

A Merton Council spokeswoman said that, since September 2010, one vehicle was used for mobile CCTV enforcement and that it was clearly marked with “CCTV Enforcement”.

She said: “For all parking offences that require an observation, legislation does not stipulate the length of time that is required; however Merton Council gives two minutes.”

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