THE ice was on the ground, it was a dark night, the curtain was about to go up, and I arrived in Bolton town centre to carry out a theatre review having forgotten my purse.

My dilemma was where to park. Apart from fellow theatre goers, the roads were deserted. The thought of parking too far away from the Albert Halls in my present state -- seven months pregnant -- worried me.

So when I noticed a spare spot down the side of the Town Hall I felt all my prayers had been answered. There were no yellow lines, no signs telling me not to park and more importantly, I was not causing an obstruction.

I clambered out of the car and noticed faint white lines depicting a small loading bay. Looking around me I realised the adjacent Town Hall was deserted and it was obvious the bay would not be needed. After all this was 7.30pm.

How wrong could I -- and the motorists parked around me -- be?

We all failed to take into consideration the lone white van travelling around the empty streets of the town centre, from which two parking wardens were operating, liberally handing out tickets.

Far be it for me to suggest their actions as petty and unwarranted at that time of night, and particularly in those icy conditions.

But I do tend to wonder just how much their policy is about applying common sense as to whether a genuine obstruction is being caused, and how much it is all about obtaining easy money in the dead of night from unsuspecting motorists.

What a welcoming town Bolton truly is.