The council has already been found to be in the wrong over fines at the Hillsborough tram gate. On that occasion, we had great sympathy: they followed the rulings of the Department of Transport over road markings only to find they were inadequate and that motorists had been wrongly fined.

Our sympathy grew thin, however, when councillors were doggedly advised to challenge the ruling - and then to try to wriggle out of paying back fines. That was patently wrong.

We are not surprised over the Wicker situation. We warned that the glut of road works made driving in the area confusing and that motorists who had been fined were simply baffled rather than contemptuous of the law.

We suggested that first time offenders should be warned and, after that, fined if they persisted in driving through the gates. This was ignored as officials and councillors hid behind the letter of the law. That ruling has once more been shown to have been flawed and the council now faces the prospect of paying back more than £100,000 in wrongly imposed fines.

But at least we get the sense that there is a growing awareness that the public is not hell bent on breaking the law and should be treated accordingly.

If this city is to function profitably and amicably, then public and authorities need a level of understanding and sympathy which has been missing for too long. And an excellent start would be to have a new start on the Wicker.

No brainer, Brad!
STRANGEST celebrity story of the week must be the one that suggests that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt didn't let nature take it course in the creation of the latest additions to their large family. It's been suggested that the picturesque pair were so busy with their brilliant careers that they used IVF treatment to conceive. Being rushed off your feet making films nobody watches or doing what comes naturally with your partner, the world's most beautiful person...bit of a no-brainer, isn't it?

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