Parking cop books tourists queuing to buy ticket

An over-eager Darwin parking cop has booked a pair of tourists while they were standing in the queue to buy a ticket from the meter.

NSW couple Carolyn and Pat McNamee say they were standing in line for no more than 30 seconds when the ranger stuck a ticket on their car just metres away, NT News reports.

But despite the $2 parking ticket and $40 fine both being stamped 9.34am the ranger refused to revoke the ticket.

"It was ridiculous," Mr McNamee told NT News.

"There was a guy ahead of us in the queue and then we turned around the [parking inspector] was writing the ticket out.

"You just wouldn't expect it to happen."

The council, which pulled in $1.5m from parking fines last financial year, has since overturned the fine.