The Burly Man was a customer at the corner shop who emerged to find Tim Metcalfe taking down the details of his parked car. A problem had arisen after Inkerman Street had been changed to residents' parking only, leading to an overspill of people wanting to park before using Weatherfield North Tram Station leaving their cars on Coronation Street. The air quality of the area deteriorated markedly with Liam Connor developing an asthmatic condition, leading to Maria Connor and Sally fighting against the change.
Sally bullied Tim into helping with the campaign by making him sleep on the sofa for five nights in a row, and when he capitulated, she made him make a note of all the transgressors, ready for any change in the regulations which meant they had a list of serial offenders who they could pounce on quickly. The man confronted Tim who meekly pretended his hobby was collecting car registration numbers. Calling him a weirdo and snatching a campaign leaflet from under his rear wiper, the man drove off. Tim then pretended to Sally that he had scared the man off, giving him a piece of his mind and his admiring wife bought him a pint as a reward.