A PHANTOM vigilante who paints double-yellow lines has been hailed a "HERO" by residents fed up with selfish drivers.
The mystery man has hand-painted lines at a dangerous junction to clamp down on reckless parking in Walmer near Deal in Kent
But now locals have slammed the council as "imbeciles" after workers painted back over the double yellows because they were "not authorised".
The quiet residential road in Walmer intersects Deal Road which has near constant traffic rushing by.
Residents claim they have been asking Kent County Council to paint yellow lines for years to stop people parking on the corner of the T-junction.
Locals are fuming with inconsiderate parking blocking them into their drives – with one man finally taking matters into his own hands.
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But residents were shocked when a council truck turned up the next day and burned the fresh paint away.
Dennis Smith, 72, has lived on the road for 22-years.
The dad-of-two said: “They are utter imbeciles for removing the lines. I don’t know who it was that painted them, but they should definitely be there.
“I cannot understand the council for removing them, especially considering the expense.
The man who painted them is a hero. I thought they were official because they were so nicely done.”
"The road is not wide enough, it’s not safe, I can’t understand the council at all. We’ve had crashes here before.
“The man who painted them is a hero. I thought they were official because they were so nicely done.”
A huge truck arrived at the road yesterday and a council worker scorched the tarmac with industrial machinery.
All that is left is two half metre wide charcoal black stretches of road and faint outlines of the DIY safety measures.
FINE LINES
Colin Robson, 81, who has lived on the road for five years with his wife Beryl, 72, said: “The lines just suddenly appeared and I thought it was a great idea to have them there.
“Why the hell they’ve taken them away I don’t know. It’s ridiculous.”
Other neighbours, some of whom have lived on the road or nearby for almost 40 years, all shared their support for the mystery line painter.
Locals have been urging the council for years to make the junction safer, one added.
One resident said their house was vandalised after being accused of painting the lines.
Bins were thrown at their windows and they have been the target of a torrent of abuse online.
The elderly home owner insisted they were not involved.
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A Kent County Council spokesman said: “We are aware of the double yellow lines in Downlands.
“These are not part of an authorised restriction, and we are working with the local authority to arrange for appropriate remedial work to be carried out.”
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