Furious Porsche owner blocks road to stop council tow truck taking his sports car over unpaid parking ticket - and WINS!

A Porsche owner and his wife blockaded his street to stop a council tow-truck from taking his sports car - and won.

Peter Fennell ran outside in a rage when he spotted his 1980s Porsche 944 being motor loaded on the lorry after he got a ticket for parking on double yellow lines near his home in Highgate, London.

He remonstrated with the drivers because he has a parking permit for the street but had left half of his car protruding from a legal spot onto double yellow lines. 

But after the parking wardens refused to back down Mr Fennel then sat on a stall in the middle of the road in protest.

Peter, 54, then worked on his laptop so the classic sports car that currently sells for around £ 30,000 couldn't be taken.

His wife Anne, 44, stood behind the tow-truck so it couldn't reverse and escape with the car.

Peter remonstrated with the tow-truck drivers but then sat on a stool with his laptop in the middle of the road in protest

Haringey Council sent a tow-truck to take Peter Fennell's Porsche less than after slapping him with a parking ticket

After a five hour stand-off, peace was brokered when the officers' superiors relented and agreed the car could be left with Peter.

But in a comic twist, the truck's engine promptly died, leaving the van blocking the street in Highgate, north London.

Peter and Anne shared sandwiches and mugs of tea with the officers while they helped them jump start their vehicle.

'We had a lovely time and I managed to carry on with my usual work from home, sat on my laptop on a stall in the middle of the road,' said Peter - who has a permit.

'We got a parking ticket and that was fair enough, I had half the car on double yellows and forgot to move it in the morning.

'We all make these mistakes from time to time and a parking ticket is a bit of a bitter pill but fair enough.

'But then to come along three quarters of an hour later to find your car being taken off to the pound by people who want to charge you £300 for the privilege.

'I just think is an outrage and very over the top and very un-English, disproportionate and unfair.

'It is not people like us that really suffer because I can kind of grin and bare it, but I have been to these pounds before and seen poor people standing crying and saying they can't afford to get their car out.

'It is an absolute outrage and I feel very cross about it and I would like more people to know that all you have to do to stop them taking it away is, if you are lucky enough to see them in the act, make it inconvenient.'

Peter said everyone who drove past them was honking or slowing to offer words of solidarity with the Fennell's protest.

'All the people involved were jolly decent people just doing their jobs,' Peter added.

A Haringey Council spokesperson, said: 'We are aware of this case and are processing the details of the Penalty Charge Notice in order to take the appropriate action.'

Peter's wife Anne (pictured with her husband) stood behind the tow-truck so it couldn't reverse and escape with the car

The tables have turned: In a comic twist, the tow-truck's engine promptly died, leaving the van blocking the street in Highgate, north London. Peter helped the driver jump start the vehicle

Peter said half the car was on double yellows and he'd forgot to move it in the morning but said towing it away was a step too far