It’s not the first time Zoe Bread and the city council have locked horns
A TikTok content creator whose online campaign forced a city council to refund a parking ticket has got Liverpool in her sights. User Zoe Bread hit the headlines after she parked on a street in Manchester and claimed confusing signs meant she bought a ticket from the wrong machine.
The council eventually backed down after a month-long battle which included a radio phone-in with Mayor Andy Burnham. Now, after falling foul of changes in Liverpool city centre, Zoe has highlighted inconsistencies with signage here.
In new videos, the TikToker said she had a “new feud” after receiving a parking ticket from the city council on Bixteth Street after rules changed earlier this month meaning charges are now active until 11pm. However, Zoe found some locations are not matching up across the city.
After being hit with a fine, the social media user found that a sign in a car park on Dale Street indicated charges were only in operation until 7.30pm, not 11pm. The machine contradicted this though with its notice saying fees now working at the times adopted by Liverpool Council in July.
In her post, a warden can be heard telling Zoe “we go off the big sign” on Dale Street. This has now prompted an apology from the local authority.
A spokesperson for Liverpool Council said: “The introduction of the controlled parking zone (CPZ) in Liverpool city centre earlier this year covers on-street parking. Operational times of car parks remained the same following the CPZ’s introduction, so the information on the large car park sign shown in the video is correct.
“However, it appears that the information on the car park’s pay-and-display machine was incorrectly changed. This has now been amended and we are also checking all our other car parks to ensure that the information aligns.
“We apologise for any confusion that this may have caused and we also plan to carry out further advertising to promote the changes more widely. As usual, we will consider any challenge to a Penalty Charge Notice through the usual process.”
It’s not the first time the internet campaigner has locked horns with Liverpool Council. In May 2023, Zoe drew up a homemade sign and delivered it to Liverpool Council after reading about the case of a park sign up for sale on eBay.
After discovering a sign denoting Springfield Park was available online, the TikTok star decided to make a new one for the park and take it to the Liverpool Streetscene Services depot in Old Swan. Zoe posted how a manager came to meet her and offered to get the signs laminated and put up around the park.
Despite handing over a hand drawn and illustrated effort to staff, Zoe asked on the TikTok: “Have I accidentally made a proper council sign?” The council worker who met her at the depot is heard to say: “I think it’s ridiculous you’ve got to do this, isn’t it?
“We can photocopy a load of them as well. Isn’t that sad you’ve had to do that though? Welcome to Liverpool.”
Zoe said being taken seriously by council staff wasn’t expected and how the offer to laminate them and put them up in Knotty Ash was a surprise.
