SIR,

I wrote to the Monmouthshire Beacon last week with the Gwent Police statistics on the type of vehicles that were ticketed for parking on the double yellow line parking opposite Monmouth Leisure Centre and its car park.

The statistics showed that although cars were ticketed, commercial vehicles escaped fines.

I wrote to Gwent Police and asked why this was so.

I have now received an explanation  from Gwent Police stating that they allow one company's vehicles to park and 'offload' on the double yellow lines, if they do so 'promptly'.

As there are no clear time constraints for this company to 'offload', this must surely set a precedent for any motorist who has received a fixed penalty fine for parking on these yellow lines – or indeed any yellow lines in Monmouthshire – to appeal, if, in their opinion, they were  'offloading promptly' at the time, on the grounds that the law must be applied equally to all, whether in a commercial vehicle, or a private car.

(Name and address supplied)