THE WIFE of a disabled driver has slammed a “cold-hearted” parking firm after they were allegedly fined for pulling over during a “medical emergency”.
Lynne Barber claims she was forced to stop in a local car park to assist her husband Henry when he fell severely ill, only to be slapped with a £100 charge.
SWNSLynne Barber claims she was fined £100 for pulling over in a “medical emergency”[/caption]
SWNSHer husband Henry is a blue badge holder[/caption]
According to Lynne, Henry had a “medical emergency”, causing her to pull over outside a shopping centre near their home in Ashford, Kent.
The scare apparently occurred after 5.30pm, when parking restrictions come into force at the site.
They stopped there for 28 minutes, which the company that manages the car park, Group Nexus, said violated the “no parking period”.
But Lynne, 59, argues that the firm should have taken the mitigation of their exceptional circumstances into account.
She said: “It was pitch black. I didn’t even think about looking at the signs to see what they said because I was more concerned about my husband’s health.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be calling an ambulance.
“I thought it was really disgusting we were given this fine.
“It was a medical emergency. We weren’t there for very long.
“I felt they were cold-hearted and I’m just thoroughly disgusted by their reaction.
“I nearly lost my husband to Covid so with all the worries I have about his health, we didn’t need this extra expense or worry.”
Thankfully, Henry apparently recovered and no ambulance was required, but Lynne claims that Nexus has failed to take his poor health into account.
The couple launched an appeal, which the firm confirms it received but has rejected.
It did not provide a justification for the rejection in its statement.
Lynne and Henry have now paid the fine, which was reduced to £60 as it was paid within the required window.
They also had to pay a £1.50 admin fee.
A spokesperson for Group Nexus said: “The vehicle remained on-site during a no-parking period on February 26.
“We received an appeal which was subsequently rejected.”
It comes after the revelation that private firms issued nearly 35,000 penalties every day, despite ministers’ pledges to tackle rogue companies.
One driver to receive such a fine claimed he was ordered to cough up £170 after “turning around” in a parking bay, calling it “daylight robbery” as he could face debt collectors.