A radio comedian has discovered to his cost that parking in Winchester can be no laughing matter.

Mervyn Stutter arrived at the theatre Royal, Jewry Street, at 10am to prepare for a "Humour, Art and the Brain" event at the Theatre Royal and, following advice from staff, he parked in Tower Street, near the stage door. After taking costumes and musical instruments into the theatre, he returned to find a parking ticket under the wiper.

Angry because he thought unloading there was allowed, he contacted the city council to complain about the £30 fine. The reply was that while unloading was, indeed, permitted, a warden had watched his vehicle for five minutes and had seen no such activity.

"While you're waiting for someone to open the stage door, that can take over five minutes," he said, adding that the warden who ticketed his vehicle was possibly "over-zealous and bored".

Kate Raines, of the Theatre Royal, confirmed that it had an agreement with the council that vehicles could unload in Tower Street for up to 20 minutes.

She added that the venue would continue to advise performers to park there, despite Mr Stutter's experience.

She said the theatre had offered to pay his fine as a goodwill gesture.

Mervyn, a former Winchester resident, who moved to Bournemouth about a year ago, said he was "considering" the offer.

He added that it was ironic that the council subsidised the theatre and that some of the money might now be returned by way of the fine. "I don't have the time to pursue an appeal. It's just a bureaucratic waste of time," he said.

A council spokesman stated that, under the 1991 Road Traffic Act, it was not legally obliged to provide unloading time for vehicles and he added that the authority was unable to discuss individual cases.