An Edinburgh motorist was towed away with his car as he staged a protest against a parking ticket.

The man locked himself in the vehicle for four hours as traffic wardens towed his vehicle through the Scotttish capital and into the compound.

The driver was only persuaded to leave his Lexus car to pay his fine when police negotiators stepped in.

The stand-off began in Clarence Street, Stockbridge, on Wednesday when the car was parked on a single yellow line.

Locked himself inside

The driver jumped into the car as it was being hoisted on to the back of a truck owned by Central Parking System.

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police confirmed officers were called to an incident in Clarence Street.

He said: "Apparently, the man was refusing to leave the vehicle and had locked himself inside.

"The car was then taken to the pound at Tower Street, Leith, where after several hours of negotiation with police and staff at the pound he finally decided to leave and pay his fine."

The man claimed he was protesting about paying for a resident's parking spot that was never available.

A spokeswoman for Edinburgh City Council said the car was given a ticket and removed because it was parked on a single yellow line.

The driver was fined �135.