A parking sign at Larnaca’s municipal market car park caused confusion on Wednesday after social media users spotted a major discrepancy between its Greek and English versions. While the Greek text correctly stated an €8 fine for overstaying the 3-hour limit, the English section wrongly listed the penalty as €25.

The municipality quickly clarified that this was due to vandalism, not an official policy change.

“The sign was properly updated with stickers in both languages last year when we introduced the new parking system,” the municipality explained.

“Unfortunately, someone removed just the English sticker, making it appear we had different rules for different visitors.”

The current system, introduced in 2023, allows free parking for 3 hours, a €8 charge after this period and no €25 penalty (an old rate removed in last year’s update).

The error was reported via the municipality’s Facebook page on April 13th and fixed by the next day. Officials have now ordered permanent metal signs to replace the stickered versions, with installation expected next week.

“We apologise for any inconvenience,” the municipality stated.

“This was an act of vandalism we couldn’t anticipate, but we’re making sure it can’t happen again.”

The incident highlights ongoing parking challenges in central Larnaca, where major development works continue to affect traffic flow and local businesses.

What the sign originally said