Last Wednesday late afternoon, I returned home from work full of flu and didn't leave my flat until I put the bins out on Thursday evening. Imagine my surprise when I opened the front door and found a big space where my car used to be! I thought it had been stolen, so I called the police. They took the details and said I also had to call another number, just in case an official authority had taken it. It turned out that Hackney Council impounded it.

After the initial shock, confusion and tears, I called Hackney's vehicle pound and was told my car had been lifted because it 'does not have a resident's permit'. I confidently told them 'you have made a mistake, my permit doesn't run out until the end of March!'. 'No' they said. 'There is no permit and if you would like your car back madam come and pay £265 to get it back'. After a few yes it has no it has not's, I cried and put the phone down. I called my friend. We arrived at the car pound. They said I had two penalty charges over the last two days and that there is 'NO PERMIT ON THE CAR, SEE FOR YOURSELF'.

And they were right. That little plastic wallet in which the permit sits was still stuck fast in the car, but the paper permit was gone. Magically disappeared? No. Just stolen. I tried to open my car but the key fob didn't work. After locking and unlocking it was obvious the car wasn't locked at all – maybe it was me, obviously a very stupid thing to do, or maybe someone somehow managed to get in without setting of the alarm. Either way, the permit was stolen. A simple malicious act. I reported it to the police – if you did see anything let me or them know. My residents permit is valid until the end of March. So when I went to the Hackney Parking office the following day, with my three page handwritten letter disputing the penalty charges, they reissued my permit. I will probably have a long wait to hear whether the money I paid to get my car back will be refunded.