THE Mayor of Ross-on-Wye appeared on national television this week saying town residents would foot the bill for his parking ticket.

Cllr Colin Gray picked up a ticket after returning to Hereford's Gaol Street car park more than ten minutes later than his ticket allowed.

When confronted by parking enforcement officers the Independent, who was wearing his mayoral chains at the time, said he would appeal the £50 fine "otherwise the rate payers of Ross will pay for it".

The dispute was caught by a television crew filming in Hereford for an ITV documentary called Parking Wars which was shown last night.

Cllr Gray was seen telling two parking officials it was his wife's car.

"She'll appeal through my secretary," he told them.

"It will come out of my expenses otherwise.

"The rate payers of Ross will pay for it otherwise, I'm sorry."

He told the film crew he had put £4 into the machine but only £3 registered.

"[It's] not my fault. It spoilt the evening as far as I'm concerned," he later added.

Cllr Gray had been returning from a civic event organised by the High Sheriff when he received the fine.

Speaking to the Hereford Times this morning, Cllr Gray says he was caught up in "the heat of the moment" at the end of a busy day.

He paid the fine out of his own account the following day.

"I didn't appeal it," he said.

"I paid it the following day with a cheque out of my own account."

He said the fine , which was issued in April, was reduced to £25 as a result of him paying within a certain timeframe. He didn't ask the rate payers of Ross to pay in the end.

"That didn't happen.

"It was heat of the moment after a long day.

"At that time I thought I was still ten minutes within my rights."

Also shown was Peter Masters, the boss of Skinzophrenic Tattoos on West Street in Hereford, who was fined for a public order act for his reaction to being ticketed.

"I've had ten tickets this year and when I came out I had another ticket and I'm afraid I lost the plot with her," he said during the programme.

"Everyone grouches about them but at the end of the day, they're humans aren't they? We all live in the same world and we've all got a job to do."

He was later seen on screen apologising to the attendant in question.