A self-employed plumber who rushed to attend to an emergency gas leak in Wellingborough was fined for parking without a permit last week.

Mark Wallace was called to the flat in Midland Road when the occupant was unable to turn off the source of the leaking gas.

He parked in the residents' parking area and put a note in his window to explain the emergency but still received a ticket.

“All I could think about was getting there quickly,” said Wallace.

He challenged the warden when he returned to his van to find a ticket but was told it “wasn’t her problem”.

“She said not parking illegally was more important than a major gas leak,” Wallace told the Evening Telegraph.

“I know they have got a job to do, but this decision was just idiotic. This was a major gas leak; it could have been really nasty. There’s no reason to be so stupid.”

Wallace intends to appeal against the £35 fine (£75 if not paid within the first fortnight).

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council, the local authority responsible, said: “Anyone who has received a parking ticket is entitled to appeal and this is considered by an experienced parking investigation officer, who is employed by the council.”