It’s a busy job being a paparazzi, on edge for hours, even days, on end to make sure you get that perfect celebrity photo.

So busy, in fact, that some might not even notice a parking warden or two behind them, checking to see if they have the right permits in place on their cars.

Reporters and photographers lying in wait outside Liam Gallagher’s Hampstead home last week were so preoccupied with waiting for the former Oasis star to emerge from his home that they failed to notice some of Camden’s traffic wardens arriving to check if the paparazzi pack had the appropriate paperwork.

Somehow, no tickets were issued to the 15 or so journalists and photographers waiting in the hope that the Mancunian rocker would make an appearance.

Some scarpered when they saw the wardens arrive, presumably as they were parking without permits.

One reporter for a national news agency, who did not want to be named, said: “The traffic wardens showed up and we played cat and mouse with them.”

Another journalist dismissed any claims the wardens were chasing down paparazzi, stating simply: “They were just doing their job.”

Ham&High music critic Michael White, who lives near Mr Gallagher in Hampstead, revealed that some paps had been there for two days, in anticipation of the perfect photo and soundbite.

Mr Gallagher had just arrived back in the UK following the recent tabloid furore over his alleged secret lovechild.