Doncaster pensioners slapped with £60 parking fine after forgetting to display blue badge at Aldi car park

A parking company issued a parking charge to a Doncaster pensioner after he forgot to display his blue badge when he took his wife - who has dementia- for an emergency toilet break.

David Stevenson, 71, has hit out at the company Vehicle Control Services Ltd, who issued at the Aldi car park on the Quora Retail Park in Thorne.

Mr Stevenson said: “I parked in the disabled spot. The sole reason we went there was to use the disabled toilet facilities for my wife.

“It was an emergency - she’s really suffering with dementia . She has a terrible job getting in and out of the car.

“I got her to the toilet and decided to do some shopping. I went back out and there was a privacy notice stuck on my windscreen.

“I read it and it didn’t say anything about a fine at all.”

A couple of weeks later he was sent a £100 fine through the post for not displaying.

Mr Stevenson tried to appeal against the fine, sending a photograph of the blue badge and explaining the circumstances to the Sheffield based company.

He added: “From my point of view the whole car park is free to park. I know we should display – it was an accident but it is easy to forget anyway.

“I thought if there was anything decent about these people that would be it.

“I got a letter back saying I had failed my appeal and purely because it was up in black and white that if you don’t display you are going to get a £100 fine. The fine stood.

“They are just penalising the disabled and it’s the disabled who need some help. I certainly do.

“I’m under pressure at all times. My wife can’t do a thing. To get a £100 fine for ten minutes while she went to the toilet is appalling. It’s a racket.”

Mr Stevenson took the option of paying a reduced fine of £60 before the deadline imposed by the company.

A representative for Vehicle Control Services Ltd said:

“In relation to the use of disabled parking spaces, the prominent signs at the Quora Retail Park, clearly state that “A valid disabled badge MUST be displayed in the front windscreen of the vehicle with details clearly visible at all times”.

“When monitoring and enforcing disabled spaces, our patrol officers can only assess compliance with the terms and conditions based on what is (or is not) displayed in the front windscreen of the vehicle.

“There is a helpline number advertised on signage at the car park for motorists to use should they experience difficulties or have queries.

“Despite the circumstances Mr Stevenson has explained, it was not unreasonable for him to display the disabled badge before exiting the vehicle; an action which would have taken a second or two.

“Whilst we declined Mr Stevenson’s appeal, he was given the opportunity to have his case adjudicated, for free, by the Independent Appeals Service (the IAS). However, he decided to settle (pay) the parking charge.

“We are satisfied that the parking charge was correctly issued as there was a clear breach of the advertised terms and conditions.”

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