A FORMER traffic warden who spent two years working the streets of London has penned a book about his turbulent time in the city.

Darrell Powell, who now lives at Benedict Street in Ely, was a regular face on the streets of Westminster between 2005 and 2007, administering tickets from everyone to tardy shoppers to A-list celebrities.

Inspired by some of the people he met along the way, the 41-year-old decided to write a humorous account of his time as a parking attendant and Warden Stories 5102 is the fruit of his labour.

“What people don’t realise is that being a traffic warden is not just about slapping tickets on cars, it’s a form of civil enforcement, much like being PCSO,” said Darrell.

“When you’re on the streets, you’re given a briefing by police on a weekly basis and we were asked to keep an eye out for wanted men. We were the eyes and ears of the authorities and I got to know a lot of the people around the city.”

As well as keeping an eye out for shady characters, Darrell would also pound the streets outside the offices of the BBC’s Radio One and Two and would often run into celebrities along the way.

In his book, the 41-year-old recounts up to 64 stories, included his meetings with pop stars Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Madonna and Michael Jackson and other personalities such as Ben Stiller, Liv Tyler, Jeremy Clarkson, Jamie Oliver, Keira Knightly and Frank Lampard.

And who of all the people he has met were the worst for parking offences? “Bentley drivers,” said Darrell.

“The worst people who I came across were Bentley drivers, anyone who had one was always very rude.

“Mums on the school run were also very rude. They would pick up their kids and then go for a coffee and would be amazed when they came back to find I had put a ticket on their windscreen.”

Darrell lost his job as a traffic warden in 2007 after a picture of him wearing a t-shirt bearing a controversial slogan was published in several national newspapers.

Despite it all however, he admits that he happily don his hat and ticket machine again.

To buy a copy of the book, visit www.amazon.co.uk or visit www.lulu.com and search Warden Stories 5102.