Ballygally mum-of-two fought the law and she won

In July, the Larne Times reported that the Department for Regional Development was investigating the case of Louise McCabe, who received a £90 penalty charge after parking across two spaces.

But the mother-of-two claimed she had been given “incorrect information” by an on-duty traffic warden.

Louise explained that she had received assurances from the official that she could park her car across two spaces, provided she purchased two pay-and-display tickets.

And that is what she did while on a shopping trip to Carrickfergus. However, when Louise returned to her car she was “shocked and disgusted” to discover she had received a ticket.

She added: “I ended up paying a £45 fine because I paid the charge within 14 days and got a 50 per cent discount. But I am a single parent and money is tight, so I ended up having to borrow the money to pay the fine.”

Having unsuccessfully appealed the fine twice, a persistent Louise got in touch with the Times and we made enquiries with the Department on her behalf.

And this week, Louise received a letter from Roads Service informing her that the fine would be refunded.

However the letter warned that the same approach may not be taken in the future.

A delighted Louise said: “I was informed that my case had been reviewed and on this occasion, the Roads Service was willing to waive the charge.

“It is a small personal victory and I am pleased with the decision, but I am annoyed I had to take it this far in order to get it sorted.

“This just proves the power of the local Press and of not backing down.”