Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team has thanked Cornwall Council for its "swift response" in cancelling a parking ticket given to one of its volunteers whilst he helped with an emergency.

The team member returned to his vehicle last Friday, having been called in to search the scene where the body of a young woman was found in Truro, to find the penalty notice on his windscreen.

However, today Cornwall Council confirmed to the Packet that it had cancelled the ticket.

A spokesperson said: ""We were able to sort this out quickly as soon as we received the appeal against the penalty charge notice. It has now been cancelled, in line with the council’s enforcement procedures."

Cornwall Council’s Civil Parking Enforcement Procedures state that official coastguard vehicles will receive automatic dispensation from on-street waiting restrictions while attending emergency situations, while fines issued to private vehicles being used by coastguards would be cancelled if proof of an emergency could be given.

The council has been thanked by the coastguard team, with their spokesperson saying: "We would like to thank Cornwall Council for their swift response in resolving our team member's parking ticket situation. It’s very much appreciated."

The team had been called in by Devon & Cornwall Police after the woman was found near the river bank at Garras Wharf in Truro, close to the Tesco store, at 10am last Friday.

Her death is being treated as “unexplained” by police, who are continuing their enquiries.

As part of their investigation they called in the support of coastguards from Falmouth and Portscatho, along with Falmouth Inshore Lifeboat and the police helicopter, to carry out a comprehensive search of the river from Truro to Malpas.

It was after returning from this search that the Falmouth team member discovered that a zealous traffic warden had ticketed his vehicle.