Southampton driver 'threatened with parking charge' for filming warden

Centenary Quay resident Jack Nevitt, 27, was parking near his home at Adonia flats when he spotted two wardens installing a parking notice sign on a wall.

Finance worker Jack feared they were putting in the sign to justify putting a charge notice on a parked car nearby.

He quizzed the pair but claims he was told he would be fined for filming. Jack then started voice recording the interaction between him and the wardens.

Centenary Quay, Southampton (Image: Newsquest, Jose Ramos)

The recording, heard by the Echo, captured the moment one of the workers said: “I can disregard that ticket if you disregard the video… and you don’t get a ticket.” Jack then said: "That's blackmail" and a warden replies: "Of course it's blackmail."

Recounting the incident, Jack said: "I went out of my car and asked them what they were doing and that they couldn’t do that.

“At that point, they said no one could park around there, that they were going to give me a ticket, and that they would disregard it if they disregarded the video.

“I told them they couldn’t do that, and they told me they would give me a ticket if I didn’t delete the video.

"My phone had died at that point at which point I just went in.”

Countrywide Parking, which runs the car park, has said it does not condone the "words chosen by the individual" and will now give them further training.

A spokesperson said they understood Jack - who has previously disputed parking charges he received - was “upset and disgruntled”.

The spokesperson added: “Of course, we as a company do not condone the words chosen by the individual in that recording and they are certainly not the words or views of the company, however, we take all comments and complaints seriously and will be providing further training to the individual.”

Countrywide Parking also said the wardens were reinstalling an existing sign which had been removed.