Hi @Manxman in exile no it wasn't a police ticket - it was a council one using cctv. It may well be that the site I quoted above is talking rubbish(!) but I've found a few that seem to say the same thing:
What do white zig-zag lines on the road mean and can I be fined for parking on them? | The Sun
WWW.THESUN.CO.UK
WE all want to avoid the frustration and costly expense of a parking ticket - but the problem is, sometimes it’s hard to know what the rules are whe
What the law says about parking outside of a school - Manchester Evening News
WWW.MANCHESTEREVENINGNEWS.CO.UK
This is what the law says about parking near a school entrance and on yellow lines
Dangerous and illegal parking outside schools | ETA
WWW.ETA.CO.UK
What can be done to tackle parking outside schools that is inconsiderate and and downright dangerous?
but I have no idea if they are correct or not.
The point I'm trying to raise with the council is that the particular zigzag line that I stopped on was not 24 hours and had operating times (8am-4pm), however there is insufficient signage to advise drivers of the fact - there's a single sign further up a dead-end road that most people including me would not see until a PCN arrives with a photo of it on there.
To be honest I can pay the fine, but I see it as another case of a local authority trying to trick drivers into supplementing their coffers. If this was really about protecting school children crossing then they would have signs further down the road (before the zigzag lines) to advise drivers not to stop.