Traffic warden lines street with parking tickets as drivers make Boxing Day error

When it comes to British bank holidays, once you're an adult, you generally know exactly when they take place.

Two of the most obvious are Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and if you're a driver, this can mean free parking.

But this isn't the case everywhere, as these unfortunate motorists discovered:

Now a big debate has been started by one viral TikTok, which shows an entire row of ticketed cars, apparently reprimanded for assuming it was free parking on Boxing Day.

The video was overlayed with the caption: "Apparently, they all assumed Boxing Day was a bank holiday #onlyintheUK."

But contrary to what this caption suggests, Boxing Day 2022 was very much a bank holiday, but these cars may well have been ticketed because the free parking didn't apply to this area.

As noted by one viewer: "It is a bank holiday, but bank holiday does not mean free parking. Depends on what the terms are in the area."

The video went far from it was unnoticed since it was posted by TikTok user @pezizlove54 yesterday (26 December), and it has been viewed over 1.1 million times.

It had the added caption: "Christmas gift for all who parked and assumed it's free parking today."

However, in the comments section, the legality of what was going on in the Watford street was the subject of a lot of debate.

TikTok / @pezizlove54

A lot of people were of the opinion that the cars should have never been ticketed because Boxing Day is a bank holiday.

One wrote alongside an embarrassed emoji: "The fact you don't know that Boxing Day is a bank holiday."

"It is a bank holiday, I would appeal!" added a second while a third wrote: "Challenge each and every one of those tickets. They were wrongly issued."

However, some viewers said that a bank holiday does not automatically mean that free parking exists everywhere.

"It is a bank holiday but parking restrictions don't recognise [a] bank holiday unless otherwise stated," remarked one viewer.

"You can't park on single or double lines in most boroughs even on bank holidays!" added a second. "Always check first!"

A third revealed: "This almost caught me out until I saw cars lined up with special yellow stickers. No council is clawing £60 from me."

Meanwhile, a fourth simply joked: "At least the parking warden hit [his] weekly target."

It turns out that parking restrictions in most areas of Watford are indeed unaffected by bank holidays.

Alamy / Martyn Williams

Watford council's website states: "On bank holidays, controlled parking zone parking restrictions apply as usual.

"There are no parking restrictions on Christmas Day or Easter Sunday."

So, in a nutshell, even if it's a bank holiday, you might want to double check whether it's legal to park - regardless of whether or not everyone else is doing it.

LADbible has contacted Watford council for a comment.