Meter maids tried to deflate the joy of a balloon delivery in Birkenhead, Merseyside, UK by issuing a £30 (US $56) parking ticket. James Higginson, 60, had allegedly committed the crime of using a commercial vehicle parking spot on Salisbury Street to unload cargo that, being lighter than air, did not fit the definition of "heavy goods." He left his commercial work van in the spot for no more than five minutes while making the delivery.

"I tried to reason with the traffic warden when I discovered he had issued the ticket but he was having none of it," Higginson told the Liverpool Echo newspaper. "How they can say that balloons are not goods I just don't know."

The Echo contacted Wirral Council about the case, council officials canceled the fine within a matter of hours.