Council u-turn over disabled parking ticket policy

Since January the Express has reported three cases of parking attendants fining people because their disabled badges were displayed the wrong way round.

The Express has received many letters from readers who are furious at what they see as a draconian enforcement of Lewes' controversial parking scheme.

East Sussex County Council defended the fines and said they were issued to combat fraudulent use of disabled badges.

Don Short, an 85-year-old disabled Dunkirk war veteran, was given a ticket for displaying his blue badge the wrong way.

The council refused to cancel the fine when he appealed.

This was despite an elderly lady driver having her fine cancelled over the Christmas period as a 'seasonal gesture of goodwill'.

This week the county council said it would, in future, cancel tickets issued to disabled drivers who had made an 'honest mistake'.

Cllr Matthew Lock said: 'We realise that while this policy has been designed to root out cheats, it has also in a few cases penalised genuine badge holders who have made an honest mistake.

'So we are now saying that if you are a blue badge owner and you feel you have been given a ticket only because you accidentally displayed your badge incorrectly, we would invite you write to the council to appeal.

'It is likely that, if this is the first time it has happened, your penalty will be rescinded.'

But the council has stopped short of cancelling tickets which have already been issued and is taking legal advice on whether Mr Short and others will have their fines rescinded.

A council spokesman added: 'Having considered the views of motorists, the council will now overturn penalty charge notices issued to motorists, whose only mistake was to display their blue badge the wrong way round.

'This means they will have to prove they are a genuine badge owner and will have to have avoided breaking any other parking regulation.

'It must also be the first time they have made this mistake.'