A DISGRUNTLED motorist who wrote a cheque on toilet paper as a “peaceful protest” over a parking fine will today appear in court after he was told to pay an extra £15 to have it processed.

A DISGRUNTLED motorist who wrote a cheque on toilet paper as a “peaceful protest” over a parking fine will today appear in court after he was told to pay an extra £15 to have it processed.

Dick Roper, 63, chose the unusual method of payment to register his disgust at Suffolk police's tougher stance to parking charges.

But while the “cheque” was eventually accepted, he was then ordered to pay £15 extra because ticket administrators, Her Majesty's Court Service, could not process the payment.

Mr Roper, a retired former company manager, said he wrote the cheque as a light-hearted way of highlighting the parking problems in the town. But his humour soon turned to anger when he was sent letters threatening court action and a hefty fine.

Mr Roper, who will today appear before magistrates for a preliminary hearing into the matter, said: “I deliberately decided to write my cheque on two sheets of toilet paper to show my disgust.

“It started off as a bit of fun. As I was annoyed, I wanted to make a peaceful protest - which I am quite entitled to do in a free country.

“I do feel very strongly about this and I have no worries about appearing in court. I just think the whole thing has been totally mishandled.”

Mr Roper, who lives in Long Melford, near Sudbury, was given a parking ticket by a police community support office at about 9pm on September 30 when he left his vehicle in a cul-de-sac in North Street.

A spokesman for Suffolk police declined to comment on Mr Roper's case while the court case was ongoing.