A TERMINALLY ill man has won a battle over a parking penalty charge after being slapped with a £25 fine on his last ever holiday.
Kevin Graves, 58, fought the charge after he returned 18 minutes late to his car because of his illness.
Kevin had recently been given the diagnosis of between three to six months to live and had taken the decision to spend some quality time with his family on the Lincolnshire coast.
While they were due to return to their car on time, Kevin needed to visit the public toilets on the seafront, reports Hull Live.
As Kevin weighs 22 stone and is fitted with a stoma bag, he and his son Dylan were delayed by around 20 minutes.
Upon returning to the car, the pair were shocked to find they had received a penalty charge notice (PCN) from Lincolnshire County Council.
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Kevin said: “I was not blocking anything. Because of my condition I was 18 minutes late, all because I had to go to the toilets which are way along the promenade by the lifeboat station.
“I feel we should have been given some leeway.”
Meanwhile a Lincolnshire County Council spokesperson said: “We have looked at the elements of this case and held a review into what happened.
“The PCN was issued correctly and this claim was appropriately rejected based on our procedures for this action.”
However they did add: “We should have exercised discretion based upon the specific content and the circumstances involved.
“After further consideration, we have arranged for the PCN to be cancelled and the money paid refunded to the motorist in this instance.”
And despite an anonymous benefactor attempting to settle the fine on behalf of the family, Kevin paid the £25 penalty on June 27.
The council have told him that the money will be refunded within the next week and Kevin thanked those who had helped out.
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“I am glad we got in touch with the media as if it wasn’t for that I don’t think the council would have changed their mind,” Kevin continued.
“I’d like to thank everyone involved for what they’ve done for me and the council for listening. I’m only on benefits and so £25 to me is like £50 to anyone else.”
