THE organiser of a charity Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? quiz will carry on issuing fake parking fines to publicise the event - despite being criticised by the authorities.

Several infuriated motorists have contacted Gwent Police and Monmouthshire county council, believing themselves to be the innocent recipients of a parking ticket. The look-alike fixed penalty tickets are flyers advertising an Abergaven-ny theatre version of the top TV quiz to fund a new library at Llangattock Primary School, near Crickhowell.

They say: "Offence code: Failing to support local charity event and evening of live entertainment" and advertise the ticket prices.

The fully mocked-up version of the TV show, which has the backing of its presenter Chris Tarrant and programme-makers Celador, is being staged at the Borough Theatre on June 6, when a top prize of one million pence - £10,000 - is up for grabs.

Organiser Stephen Lewis, MBE, managing director of management consultancy firm Black Mountain, has been told by Gwent Police and the council to scrap the imitation tickets in light of the complaints.

But Mr Lewis has refused to budge and has vowed to carry on distributing the tickets, believing he has done nothing wrong.

He told the Argus: "The Charity Fixed Penalty notices really have caused a stir, and all the evidence is that every complaint has stimulated ten purchases!

"That's good enough for me and we will continue to break through officialdom and small-mindedness. I'm determined to break the connection of the equation in people's minds of local charity equals amateur production."

PC Edwin Gulliford, based at Abergavenny, confirmed that Mr Lewis had been spoken to. "He has been warned, as these tickets can be distressing to people who believe they have been given a fixed penalty ticket.

"The police support the charity event but strongly disapprove of the means by which it is being advertised and have advised him to stop." PC Gulliford stressed, though, that the police had no intention of taking further action at this stage.

A Monmouthshire council spokesman said Mr Lewis had been told to scrap his advertising campaign after receiving a number of calls and six letters of complaint from angry motorists.

He added that permission was required from the authority to place adverts on vehicles in its car parks, but the spokesman would not be drawn as to whether legal action would be taken against Mr Lewis.

For details of next week's show, contact Mr Lewis on 01873 811000, and for tickets contact the Borough Theatre box office on 01873 735837. Proceeds from the event will go towards the library appeal..