Now that is what one could call an entrepreneur albeit crooked but nevertheless.
Yes I remember that very well from a few years ago now. An absolute classic. No doubt he’s sauntering around the Costas now 
This article may be of interest (incidentally I went to school with the journalist who wrote it 
)…
Rather him than that lot in Westminster ripping people off
It’s not that wrong - he did work for his money in a bizarre way 
. But if ir’s an urbn myth it’s quite a sweet one.
Long before parking charges or parking ticket machines existed, we visited Monpazier and parked without a problem in the small car park. The next time we went, there was a guy at a table blocking the main way into the car park. It just didn’t look pukka. So we avoided him, easily enough, and parked where we had before. He didn’t notice and/or raised no objection. Thinking about it afterwards, we were convinced he was an ‘entrepreneurial’ individual, being, taking money for parking and maybe giving tickets to make it look official. And making a small crust from the tourists!
Well, what confidence and patience he must have had to pull it off. If true, I’d give him zero marks for screwing Bristol Zoo, its keepers and their animals.
On the other hand, Bristol Zoo’s finance department doesn’t get any marks either, if it’s true.
Well, I’d say he didn’t screw anybody. He just exploited a previously untapped source of revenue. As HMRC might say 
Sadly its an urban myth which first surfaced about ten years ago. If only though!
This is true
It came up on the local news a number of years ago
He was there a many more years than 25
We took our children to Bristol Zoo a number of times in the late 80,s and 90,s
It was £1 even in those days a very reasonable sum to park in Bristol
The gentleman in question had a very upright bearing
Was very polite and helpful wore a long grey coat with an enamel badge “ parking attendant “
He had one of those wooden sheds like a sentry box
Collected cash no meters then and gave a paper ticket
Clearly a very enterprising person
Always there 7 days a week, come rain or shine
Bristol Zoo now no Longer in Bristol moved to the country north of Bristol and I expect the parking many times more expensive
This was strenuously denied, but it would have been a very ‘Bristol’ thing to happen back in the day, before everything became so corporate. I’d love to think it were true.