Rome parking chief gets sack for illegal parking

ROME (Reuters) - Rome's mayor sacked the city's traffic andparking chief on Sunday after a newspaper reported he parkedhis car in a no parking zone and displayed a handicapped permitthat belonged to an 86-year old woman.

Giovanni Catanzaro parked his red Alfa Romeo Brera in a towaway zone near the Spanish Steps in central Rome before headingoff to a restaurant on Friday night, Roman daily Il Messaggeroreported on Sunday, complete with pictures from the scene.

His car displayed a permit for disabled drivers that was nolonger valid and initially issued to a senior citizen, thepaper said, noting that officials almost never tow away adisabled person's vehicle no matter where it is parked.

A spokesman for Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni said Catanzarohad been removed from his post as head of the city's municipalpolice force that oversees traffic and parking violations afterthe newspaper report.

Rome has a series of restrictions on driving and parkingalong many of its narrow, cobblestoned streets, though parkingillegally -- often on sidewalks and crosswalks -- is a commonsight across the city.

(Reporting by Valentina Consiglio; Writing by DeepaBabington)