'Heartless' council chased dead man's parking fines

Barry Jager said he could not accept Southend-on-Sea City Council's apology

A grieving father has accused a council of behaving “like wolves” for pursuing parking fines incurred by his dead son.

Southend-on-Sea City Council sought payment for three penalty charge notices (PCNs) given to Shaun Jager, who collapsed on the pavement shortly after parking his van in March.

He had developed a brain tumour and other cancers from which he never recovered. Mr Jager's father, Barry Jager, said despite being informed of the tragedy, the council continued to ask for payment.

The council has now apologised and said it had dropped the fines, but Barry Jager said it had been “heartless”.

Payment demands

Shaun Jager, 55, was a father-of-two and worked as a spray-painter for cars and aeroplanes.

After losing his livelihood in a fire, he fell on hard times and became homeless, living out of a van.

Unbeknown to him, his health was deteriorating at the same time.

At the end of March 2024, he parked his van legally on Glenhurst Road in Southend, collapsing on the pavement nearby.

He was rushed to hospital where doctors found he had a brain tumour, as well as stage four cancer in three parts of his body.

Shaun Jager could not remember where he had parked his van. His father found it several days later, by which time it had three PCNs on its windscreen.

Shaun Jager collapsed shortly after parking his van in Southend-on-Sea in March 2024

Barry Jager wrote to the council to tell them what had happened to his son.

He said the authority wrote back, saying it was dropping the first fine but pursuing the other two, and he received further demands for payment.

Shaun Jager passed away on 24 August. His father wrote again to the council, including a copy of his son’s death certificate, but a week later another letter arrived, demanding the fine be paid or bailiff action would follow.

“I think it’s heartless,” said Barry Jager, 80, from Benfleet.

“He’s a homeless person with stage four cancer, and they still pursue him before he died and after he’s died.

“They will not let up - they’re just like wolves.”

‘Regrettable situation’

After being contacted by the BBC, council leader Daniel Cowan apologised to Barry Jager for any distress caused and extended the council’s sympathies to his family.

Cowan said two of the three fines had already been dropped on medical and compassionate grounds, but the third PCN progressed through the system “as we had no further communication”.

He said Mr Jager had later informed the authority of his son’s passing, and the third PCN had now been cancelled.

“Southend-on-Sea City Council’s appeals process is fair and compassionate, as demonstrated by the first two PCNs being cancelled,” the council leader said.

“However, the regrettable situation with the third PCN shows us that there is room for improvement, and we’ll review internally what we could have done differently.”

Barry Jager said he did not accept the council’s apology, which arrived the day after his son’s funeral.

“I should be grieving, I shouldn’t be angry - but I am, very much so, with Southend City Council," he told the BBC.

“I’m afraid any apology put to me won’t help.”