Chinese driver caught drawing a 'parking bay' around his van in city centre

A cunning Chinese van driver devised an ingenious – but illegal – method for finding a parking space in a busy city centre... he drew his own bay on the road with chalk.

Police in Jinhua, Zhejiang province noticed yesterday (1 May) that the lines around the vehicle were thinner and less neatly applied than official parking space boundaries, according to Qianjiang Evening News.

CCTV footage showed the van had returned to the false parking bay over four consecutive days. It also caught the driver, clad in an orange shirt, stepping out of the van and applying the white lines with chalk.

According to New Straits Times, the man has was called into the police station for questioning while Newshub reports that he faces a fine of between $100 (£77) and $1,000.

Jinhua is situated in eastern China and had a population of more than five million people in 2010. It enjoys a vibrant economy where a flourishing private sector accounts for almost 90% of GDP.

In January a UK doctor was accused of blocking a disabled pensioner's car in her surgery car park because she wanted to "teach him a lesson". The GP was allegedly furious because the disabled 80-year-old had parked in her specially allocated parking bay.