AN angry resident has turned the tables on Basildon Council’s CCTV spy car by catching it parked illegally, twice over.

Karen Smith, 44, hid in a Wickford funeral director’s to take this shot of the Smart Car, parked, not only on a yellow line, but on the pavement too.

She had just returned from the stables where she keeps her horse when spotted the spy car partly blocking the pavement in Irvon Hill Road, for the second morning running.

Karen, of Market Avenue, Wickford, said: “It was there for about ten minutes and it really annoyed me because I always see it hovering around this area, trying to catch mums dropping off their kids on the school run.

“So I hid out of site in the undertakers and took a photo on my mobile phone.”

The spy car has been the scourge of motorists across the district since it took to local roads in September.

In November, it was criticised by taxi driver Gary Lynch, who was given a £70 ticket for parking in a layby in Laindon for a couple of minutes to help an elderly, frail passenger to her front door.

Mrs Smith said: “I’ve heard a lot of stories about people who have been hard done to by this car, so I thought it was a hypocritical it was parking how it liked.

“I really don’t think there should be one rule for the Smart Car and one for the rest of us.”

Brian Boyce, manager of parking enforcement for Basildon Council, said: “The officer stopped the vehicle for a few minutes to carry out vital log paperwork.

“Although Irvon Hill Road is a quiet stretch of road, officers have been advised not to park in such positions again.”