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Fined £40 before I even left my car
Expectant mum Susan Crook from Leyland thought it was a bad joke when she received a parking ticket before she even left her car.
The 33-year-old was getting out of her car at the Churchill Way Retail Park in the town and claims she hadn't even closed the door or had the chance to display her blue disabled badge when she was handed a 40 fine.
Husband Colin and son Jack were looking on in shock and Mrs Crook, who suffers from kidney failure and has mobility problems as a result of arthritis, told the Consumer Champion she feels unfairly treated.
Recalling what happened she said: "I got out of my car to get my handbag because that's where my disabled badge was.
"I saw an old friend and spoke to her very briefly, no longer than a couple of minutes - in that time I hadn't left my car and my husband and son were with me.
"But the parking attendant came up to me and said I had been there too long and that she would issue a ticket.
"She wouldn't listen, even though I tried to explain that I hadn't even left the car and that it takes me a bit longer to get my mobility scooter out of the boot.
"People tend not to believe me when I tell them I'm disabled but I am, I've had a disability since I was 18 months old.
"It's just upset me enormously and I didn't have enough energy to argue with the parking warden because I'm pregnant as well and wasn't in the mood for that.
"I wrote a letter and didn't hear anything back for nearly two weeks - I got a general response and by then the fine had been increased to 80."
On querying the ticket, Mrs Crook's sister managed to get the fine reduced back to 40 but she still believes it shouldn't have been issues.
The Champ stepped in and phoned Leyland-based National Clamps, the firm which issued the fine, to find out what the situation was.
He was told that the ticket would not be quashed because disabled drivers who were not displaying badges straight away would be ticketed.
Trevor Whitehouse, chairman of National Clamps, said: "Disabled parking bays are for disabled drivers only and our parking attendants cannot know that a person is disabled if the badge is not displayed.
"The badge needs to be displayed straight away and if it's not, you will get fined - it costs us money to write to the DVLA and to issue the ticket.
"I am not being hard, I am being reasonable - I am sick to death of people who don't display their badges and then are surpised if they get a ticket."
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Weather for Chorley
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -3 C to 1 C
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Wind direction: South east
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