I WAS flattered to receive a letter from a senior councillor after last week’s piece about the missing ‘v’ in an internet address on a council parking penalty notice given to a motorist.

Cllr Clive Harriss, a cabinet member at Wycombe District Council, sent in a detailed explanation about the error which we publish on our letters page today.

Fair play to him and, as I pointed out last week, I’m not really fussed about this small mistake.

Unfortunately, we are all guilty of such blunders. Only two weeks ago, I allowed ‘Wycome’ (missing a ‘b’) to be printed in a headline so I’m not going to lecture anyone on this subject.

The simple point I was trying to illustrate is that errors happen to the best of us. So when I bought a parking ticket last year in all innocence on a rainy day from the wrong machine in High Wycombe, I expected my local council to let me off with a warning.

Instead, I was told I was liable because I had not read the large signs in the road or the notice on the machine. Agreed, but it was a mistake. I had clearly attempted to buy a legal ticket and assumed that I would be given at least one chance by my council and be given the benefit of the doubt just once perhaps.

Not so. They stuck to their guns, because they were of course legally in the right, and I coughed up £25 to get rid of it.

I have an idea. If the council is going to be so prim and proper about punishing drivers such as me for foolish mistakes, perhaps they can set an example by fining their own staff whenever unintentional but careless errors occur.

Let me explain. A colleague of mine, Sony Koleth, worked for an English-speaking paper in the Middle East a few years ago.

Whenever journalists made what was termed a serious error, they were docked wages, One chap lost 15 days salary as a result.

I don’t for a moment suggest we do that at the Bucks Free Press, because I’d probably end up owing the company money every week.

However, if the council wants to set an example towards drivers who make careless errors, then perhaps fining staff in the same way is the way forward. It could also save the taxpayers a fortune and reduce the budget deficit.

I’m not suggesting that staff make many mistakes or that this idea is fair in any way at all to them. But, hey, as I found out last year when I had to pay my fine, life ain’t fair, rules are rules and it’s the motorist’s responsibility to buy the correct ticket.

I would love to be a fly on the wall when the relevant member of staff (or external contractor) was told: “It’s the worker’s responsibility to ensure the correct ‘v’ was on the end of our internet address.

We are fining you £50, but this will be reduced by 50 per cent with prompt payment. You have the right to appeal. Each case is judged on its merits.”

Yes, I am sure that would go down really well.

PS: there are indeed two ss at the end of Cllr Harriss’ name, so please don’t fine me.