A member of Cherwell District Council has shown regret and reached out to the highways enforcement official following a parking incident in Bicester.

Councillor Sam Holland, from the North Oxfordshire Conservative group representing the Bicester East ward, posted on Facebook about observing a fellow councillor parking illegally.

He noticed Councillor Chris Pruden, who sits for the Bicester South and Ambrosden ward as a Liberal Democrat member, flouting road safety rules by leaving his white car positioned on the junction between Whiteland Way and Haydock Road in Bicester.

Highway Code Rule 243 explicitly forbids drivers from halting within 10 metres of any junction, including T-junctions, crossroads and roundabouts, unless authorised parking bays or signs permit such parking.

The rule also bans positioning vehicles to face a junction, as this can obstruct drivers trying to turn and generate dangerous blind spots.

Mr Holland called on Mr Pruden to make a voluntary referral to Cherwell District Council’s Monitoring Officer under the Councillor Code of Conduct.

He said that as elected members, they regularly encourage residents to observe parking rules and ensure street safety. He pointed out that they now have a Liberal Democrat councillor doing the complete opposite while promoting his political party.

He urged Mr Pruden to demonstrate the same level of accountability and integrity that he and his colleagues expect from everyone else. He emphasised that traffic regulations and basic road safety apply to elected officials, especially when using the public highway to display party campaign materials.

Mr Pruden responded by acknowledging that road safety matters greatly in Bicester. He accepted this mistake and confirmed he had notified the council’s monitoring officer.

Cherwell District Council declined to comment.