The myth of the trigger-happy traffic warden was shown by my joining the patrol to be just that – a myth.

At least if Lukasz Pepel is anything to go by.

Lukasz has been a traffic warden – more accurately a civil enforcement officer – with power to issue fines on things like littering as well as bad parking, for a few months.

And during the 80 minutes I spent with him and the team he issued just the one fixed penalty notice.

And that was only after he’d given the driver 30 minutes grace. He had noticed a workman’s van parked on double yellow lines in Regent Circus at the start of our walk around the centre.

After 30 minutes we had returned back to the same place, and the van was still there. So a ticket was issued.

Elsewhere, particularly on Commercial Road, he had plenty of opportunity to slap a fine on cars parked illegally, on yellow lines, or even fully on the pavement.

But if the driver was present then he would have a quick word and politely ask them to move, if they weren’t, he’d note the time and watch for a while. Noticing him prompted one woman to hurry out of a shop and drive her SUV away.

Lukasz said: “I always try to be co-operative and non confrontational. And most people are co-operative back. If I tell them they can’t park or worth somewhere they’re happy to go.

“Sometimes people aren’t so friendly, and they start on the swearing immediately, but I still try and persuade them to move instead of just issuing a ticket.”