Cancer charity’s fundraising car towed away by Haringey Council

A charity van collecting for cancer sufferers was towed away by Haringey Council contractors in Crouch End – despite appeals to let them unload fundraising kit.

The small car, painted with daffodils, was parked opposite the Marie Curie Cancer Care shop on Saturday when parking contractors swooped at 8.30am. It was taken on a lorry to the pound in Wood Green where a �255 fine had to be paid, setting the charity appeal off to a bad start.

“I don’t like the idea of the first few hours of collecting going to Haringey pound,” said the charity boss in charge of the collection.

Mary Jarvis from Hampstead Hospice was running the Crouch End Great Daffodil Appeal and thought parking was allowed before 9.30am.

Lee Levitt, one of the volunteer collectors, said that a ticket would have sufficed.

“It’s outrageous to take it to a pound,” he said. “It wasn’t blocking any traffic. It was a complete abuse of powers and not what traffic management should be about.”

A spokesman for Haringey Council said the towed car was illegally parked and the rules were clearly signposted.