People without gas get parking tickets at nearby help center created for them.

Sharone Parnes, a town councillor in Woodstock, recently spoke out against the local council for their actions surrounding a recent gas outage in the area. According to Parnes, residents who were left without gas for days were issued parking tickets at a help centre that was set up for them. The outage affected around 2,180 homes in Woodstock, causing many to struggle without the ability to wash or cook.

The issue began on Tuesday when SGN, the gas distribution company, sent engineers to turn off gas supplies for safety reasons while they investigated the problem. In response, the company provided portable and electric appliances for cooking and heating to those who were elderly, disabled, chronically ill, had young children, or had special needs. They also set up a customer center at the Woodstock Community Hall to answer questions and distribute these temporary appliances.

However, Parnes and other residents were appalled to hear that some individuals were given parking tickets while picking up these essential appliances. She expressed her frustration, saying, "People won't be smelling gas, because it's all been turned off at the meter everywhere, but to issue penalty charge notices for parking during an ongoing local crisis stinks in a different way." She went on to explain that many residents were already struggling without hot water and warm showers, and the last thing they needed was a parking warden handing out tickets.

The situation only seemed to worsen when it was revealed that more than 2,000 homes were affected by the gas outage and yet parking enforcement was still taking place. Parnes stated, "With more than 2,100 households and dozens of businesses enduring without gas supply since Tuesday, it's astonishing and beyond disappointing to see parking enforcement taking place." She described how residents were trying to make the best of the situation by visiting the information center for updates and assistance, only to be met with parking tickets. Parnes strongly criticized the county and district councils, saying they seemed "beyond detached, insensitive and, frankly, rather disgusting."

The county council confirmed that parking tickets had indeed been issued in Woodstock while the gas outage was still ongoing. A spokesperson for the council stated that their enforcement officers were now aware of the situation and were acting accordingly. They also mentioned that four penalty charge notices had been issued for parking in permit bays without a valid permit, but those who received them could challenge them by following the instructions on the back of the notices.

Fortunately, the gas issue has since been resolved and SGN has been working to restore gas supplies to each individual property. However, as of 3:15pm today, around 650 properties were still without gas. SGN promised to provide an update on the situation later in the evening.

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