Putting a ‘For Sale’ sign on your car could land you with a £100 fine in some parts of the country. Victor Abrahams did this with his R-reg Ford Escort cabrio and parked in a north London side street as usual, then went to work. When he returned, there was a ticket on the car, saying he had been reported for ‘offering a car for sale from a public parking space’.

Victor called Barnet Council, who issued the ticket. A spokesman there said the council introduced the regulation a year ago, to discourage professional traders from clogging streets with their cars for sale.

The council advertised the change in the local newspaper, she said. ‘But,’ as Victor told the Daily Mail, ‘I don’t live in Barnet – I only work there, so I didn’t know about this. What happens to all the other people like me – will they get a ticket, too?’

Victor has written to Barnet Council to challenge the ticket and is awaiting a final response before deciding whether to pay the fine. He has, however, taken the ‘for sale’ sign out of his car and it is now on offer through a local garage.

Barnet council said it introduced the restriction to curtail parking by small-scale car traders, who blocked some side road, with each offering up to a dozen cars for sale. The council said it would review the law in view of Mr Abrahams’ comments.

This borough is not alone in having such a law: dozens of councils have brought in similar measures. But most use the laws sparingly – to discourage traders who park several cars in a single place.