TWO members of Cleveland Police Authority have refused to pay £60 parking tickets they received while on official business.

Couns Barry Coppinger and Ron Lowes both argued that they should not have to pay the fines, and that parking places should have been provided for an authority meeting.

The pair had the tickets slapped on their vehicles after parking in Lauder Street, Hartlepool, for a meeting held near the town's civic centre on January 27.

Both believe they have grounds for appeal because Hartlepool Borough Council, which issued the parking fines, did not provide parking spaces for the meeting.

Coun Coppinger, who is Middlesbrough Council's executive member for community safety, said he had taken advice from the police authority about appealing against the ticket.

Earlier, he had told the borough cuncil chief executive Joe McCarthy that he "should pay it himself".

He said: "That was very much tongue in cheek. The fact is we, like anyone else, have the right to appeal and we are doing so.

"We will abide by whatever decision is made."

Coun Lowes, who is executive councillor for transport on Middlesbrough Council, said: "At the time it was a bit of a laugh when we told the other members of the police authority at the meeting that we had been given the parking fine tickets.

"At that time, we were told it would be all sorted out.

"We don't think we're above the law. We're just two people who think we've got a case and are appealing. If they turn round and say, 'rules are rules', we will cough up."

A spokesman for Hartlepool Council said: "To the best of our knowledge, there was no request to the council to provide parking spaces. However, the council operates an appeals procedure and each case is judged on its merits."