A driver who makes use of disabled car parking bays at an out-of-town shopping village in Cornwall has hit out at a firm which has issued her with fines.

Joanne Lane said a number of motorists displaying Blue Badges have received £100 penalty charge notices from UKPC which has told them that they parked outside the lines of the parking bays.

The fines relate to bays at the Kingsley Village shopping complex at Fraddon.

Joanne said she had received two penalty charge notices after making visits to the complex with her 24-year-old disabled son Sam.

Joanne, who is critical of the parking company, said: “A week after one visit, I was dismayed to receive a £100 parking fine.

“It took a while to register why I had received the fine as I was sure the blue disabled badge was displayed correctly. 

“It turns out that because the driver’s side wheel was just over the line of the parking bay, the parking attendant deemed this was an offence. 

“However, on the other side of the parking bay are metal bollards and if I’d parked nearer to these, I would not have been able to help my son out of the car. My son has limited mobility so needs help getting in and out of the vehicle and can only walk very short distances. 

“To make matters worse, a couple of days later I received another parking fine, this time in a different bay but for exactly the same reason. This time there were no bollards but there were a lot of people on the pavement next to the car, so I would not have been able to help my son who I am a full-time carer to. 

“I have appealed against both fines but at this point hold out very little hope that they will be overturned.” 

“I would really like to warn other disabled drivers.”

Another shopper said they watched in disbelief as a parking attendant penalised cars parked in the disabled bays area.

They said: “I was there for just 30 minutes and watched the attendant take pictures of over six cars that had got  wheels on the hatching.  

“I know they should park inside the space but it affects nobody else at all.

“They hadn’t broken any law. They were not parking into a second space. 

“They didn’t stay over the hours you are permitted. 

“The attendant said they would be getting a £100 parking charge for straying onto the yellow hatching. 

“He was checking parking on all sides so if a driver had to park a little in the hatches due to poor parking on the other side they were also charged £100. 

“The parking attendant also said people should reverse out and turn their vehicle around if they couldn’t get it right but you try reversing out and back in again when the car park is so busy. It’s a crazy place. It is certainly wrong to expect people to try and do that.”

UKPC has not responded to requests from the Voice for a comment on the issue.