A DISABLED pensioner has hit out at a parking firm for giving her a £100 fine while shopping at B&M, even though she can’t drive.
Hazel Wood, who uses crutches as a result of rheumatoid arthritis, was horrified to be handed the charge on one of her first trips out in years.
Hazel, from Brown Less, Staffordshire, went for a day out with her daughter last month but ended up paying for more than just her shopping.
The 80-year-old still owns a car, despite her disability preventing her from driving, and makes sure to keep it roadworthy, taxed and insured.
Instead, her daughter drives her around on the rare occasions she goes out.
Hazel told the Stoke Sentinel: “I haven’t really been out since Covid.
“I have a blue badge because I’m disabled and where I do go I make sure the badge is in the window.
“I don’t know Stone, but my daughter does, so she picked me up.
“I had my sticks and wheelchair in the car and we parked in the B&M car park and made sure the time was right on my badge.
“But my daughter said we might still have to pay so she did something on her phone to pay.
“I’m no good with technology.”
The parking company involved, Smart Parking, insists that the charge was correctly issued on the grounds that Hazel overstayed her permit and that her blue badge is not applicable on private land.
However, they have cancelled the charge as an “act of goodwill”.
According to the report, Smart Parking’s cameras show the car entering the car park at 2.02pm and leaving at 4.26pm that day.
And when she returned to her car, there was apparently no sign of any ticket.
But despite allegedly having both a blue badge and paid permit displayed, Hazel still received a £100 penalty notice in the post.
She added: “I’ve never had anything like that before because I always make sure I’m above board with it and I’ve got the badge now so I don’t tend to pay.
“There was no ticket on the car when we came away or anything – I was shocked.”
A spokesperson for Smart Parking said: “Crown Street car park is private land, so Blue Badge permit rules do not apply.
“When Blue Badge’s are issued by local authorities these terms and conditions of use are clearly explained to the recipients.
“In the case of Mrs Hazel Wood, she paid for two hours of parking, but parked for two hours and 23 minutes, so was correctly issued a charge.
“However, as an act of goodwill B&M cancelled the charge.”
