A Queensland driver has blasted his local council for fining him $345 for parking his car on a patch of grass in a packed car park.

Stephen Allthorpe, 63, drives to Shaw Park in Wooloowin, Brisbane’s inner north, every Sunday to walk his Labrador Freddie to nearby Kalinga Park.

However, he arrived to a full car park on August 9, so he decided to leave his white SUV on the grassy area opposite the volleyball pits and rugby club.

‘There were a lot of cars here that day, no normal car spots, so I backed up onto the small piece of grass,’ Mr Allthorpe told Courier Mail.

When he returned to his vehicle after his 40-minute walk, he drove off without realising that Brisbane City Council had booked him.

Mr Allthorpe said he only learned of the $345 fine when he received the infringement notice in the mail weeks later.

‘Contravene a sign, notice, lines or markings on carriageways and other areas on council land,’ the fine read.

Mr Allthorpe said he only understood what he had done wrong after doing some research online.

‘I was bewildered when I picked up the fine,’ he said.

‘I didn’t even know what I got fined for until I somehow managed my way through the technology of the council website to understand how I got done.’

Mr Allthorpe was livid with the decision, especially since there were no signs saying he wasn’t allowed to park where he did.

‘If there was a sign, I would not have parked there,’ he said.

‘Nowhere to be found, no council signs. Where do you park in a city that is overloaded? What do you do?

‘If they do that to a young family … you wonder why people are giving up.’

However, a Brisbane City Council told Daily Mail there were, in fact, many parking signs in the area.

‘There are many different types of parking signs around the precinct that highlight correct parking protocol,’ he said.

‘We understand getting a parking fine is frustrating, but our priority is keeping the community safe.’

The Daily Mail understands that a sign saying ‘No Unauthorised Vehicles’ can be seen at the opening of the park and that Mr Althorpe mounted the kerb to park on a grassed area where parallel parking was not permitted.

He was therefore categorised as an unauthorised vehicle and an infringement was issued.

Mr Allthorpe also called the council ‘greedy’.

‘If they have those exorbitant fines, why not put a car park there?’ he said.

‘No, they will not do it. They will keep slugging you.’

Mr Allthorpe has challenged the fine with Brisbane City Council.