TEACHER John Norris is making a one-man stand against the enforcement regime in Thornbury car parks by refusing to pay his council tax.

He is insisting that council chiefs tear up a £30 fixed penalty ticket for leaving his car in a town centre car park with two wheels just six inches over the white line.

"It's absolutely crazy and I've decided not to give way on this one without kicking up a big fuss," said Mr Norris, 37, a PE teacher at the town's Castle School.

"The car next to mine had its wheels right up against the line and if I had parked any closer then my passenger, a female colleague with an ankle injury, would not have been able to get out.

"I had a trapped nerve in my neck and we both had appointments with a physiotherapist.

"I'm not using that as an excuse - I admit I was just over the line. But there has to be room for common sense. A good 95 per cent of my vehicle was inside and no one was being obstructed or inconvenienced.

"When I rang the council the officer in charge of these things told me it didn't matter whether I was over by one inch or ten feet - it was just the same.

"I was amazed to hear him say that. Of course there's a difference. There has to be scope for discretion.

"The council seems to have got a bad name for itself by the over-zealous way it enforces the rules in its car parks and I can see why."

Mr Norris, of Almondsbury, who is the brother of Wansdyke MP Dan Norris, said he would not be paying his council tax until the row was resolved.

"I'm a teacher and a law abiding citizen yet I'm now being threatened with debt collection procedure. I've told the agency I'm in dispute with the council and I won't be paying anything until it's resolved," he said.

South Gloucestershire Council is insisting it's in the right and is unimpressed by Mr Norris's pleadings.

Spokesman Ryan Skeets said: "We have a duty to properly enforce parking regulations in car parks to ensure that vehicles are parked safely and responsibly in the interests of all our residents.

"Inconsiderate parking can cause obstructions and blockages which can be hazardous to the safety of others. This is why the white lines are in place and need to be enforced."