Pensioners Ticketed For Blue Badge Error

Following on from news earlier this week that the privatised parking enforcement company NCP, issued over 140,000 tickets for illegal parking, raising more than £4 million, two elderly women have each been fined after displaying their disabled parking permits incorrectly.

Elizabeth Breen (79), who is being treated for cancer, and Anne Austin (72), who is recovering from surgery on her knee, were hit with the fines after accidentally leaving their blue badges back to front on the dashboards of their cars.

On returning to the vehicle, they discovered they had been issued with a parking ticket.

Their daughter, Helen McNutt, said: "I ran after the traffic warden and asked her what was wrong and she told me the badge had been displayed the wrong way round, but it doesn't actually say anything on the badge about what way it should be.

"It seems crazy. There should be something on the badge telling you how it should be displayed. Mum is going through chemotherapy at the moment and my dad has diabetes and they both could have done without the stress.

"They are both on a state pension and £30 is a lot of money. They would have to pay £60 if it wasn't paid within two weeks.”

Ms Austin, who uses a walking stick, was helping a friend - who has had a stroke - out of her car in Ballycastle town centre when she was issued with a parking ticket for failing to display her blue badge correctly whilst parked in a disabled bay.

"I was only gone for about 10 minutes and when I got back I saw the woman writing the ticket and when I asked her what was wrong she told me the badge was on the wrong way," she said.

A Department of Regional Development spokeswoman said the wardens had followed procedures by issuing the tickets.

(BMcC)