A man feels “conned” after being ticketed for leaving his car in a temporary no-parking zone – even though there was no longer a reason for the zone.

Francis Beckett, of Hendon Lane, Finchley Central, noticed a sign forbidding parking outside the Phoenix Theatre in East Finchley on November 8.

As the notice did not specify a time scale, drivers visiting the cinema were unsure what it meant.

Eventually, Mr Beckett asked cinema staff who told him parking was suspended because a film crew was using the site in the morning, but had since left and no longer required the spaces.

It was not until the next day he noticed a ticket for £55 had been placed between the windscreen and bonnet, instead of on the windscreen where it would clearly be visible.

The 69-year-old said: “It’s usually fine to park there and if the reason it was being blocked off was no longer valid, how can they give me a fine?

“I feel the council are just tricking money out of their voters. They are doing it to squeeze as many pennies out of us as possible.

“I feel conned by them and completely let down. I saw other people had received tickets too. It’s not on, I am fed up.”

The ticket was issued on November 8 at 9.30pm – a time when it would normally be free to park.

Despite appealing the charge, Mr Beckett's pleas were rejected and he now faces a £110 fine.

He added: “The sign was confusing – it said the pay-by-phone bay was suspended but as you don’t have to pay to park at that time of the night, we assumed it would be okay.

“The sign seemed deliberately obscure, as though they were written in the hope of trapping motorists into letting themselves in for a fine.

“There was obviously no need for a parking restriction in this spot. I won’t pay it.”

Barnet Borough Council has since cancelled the ticket - but still say Mr Beckett was in the wrong for parking there.

In a statement, the authority said: “A suspended parking bay means motorists are not permitted to park while a restriction is in place, regardless of the time of day.

“In this particular case we have cancelled the PCN due to insufficient evidence being recorded by the CEO to adequately support that the contravention took place.”