Dunedin man fuming after finding his ute trapped between parked cars

Warren Gray and his trapped ute on Cumberland St. Photo / Otago Daily Times - Stephen Jaquiery

A Dunedin man says the city council and police had no interest in helping him after two cars parked so close to his vehicle that he could not leave.

Warren Gray was fuming when he returned to his ute parked in Cumberland St yesterday.

A green Hyundai had filled a small gap between his truck and a fire hydrant, leaving 19cm of space, while a blue Honda had parked in front of him, leaving a little over 22cm.

Gray said there was always a bit of a battle for parks along the street, but what happened yesterday was "totally inconsiderate".

He called the Dunedin City Council but was told there was nothing it could do.

A council spokesman said it sympathised with his predicament, but parking officers did not have the legal power to arrange for vehicles to be towed or to contact owners in such situations.

The council could issue infringement notices for inconsiderate parking, but only where the person at fault could be identified with certainty.

Gray said he waited a few hours to see if the owners would return to their vehicles, then tried calling the police, but again received no help.

Eventually, he opted for the wiggle strategy and managed to free the ute, but admitted it was not a flawless execution.