COUNTY NEWS: Pensioner's upset over '˜ridiculous' parking ticket

A Sussex pensioner was shocked to receive a parking ticket while looking after his disabled sister.
Tony Richardson (85) and his sister June Avis (90) in Asda car park where they were given a parking ticket (Photo by Jon Rigby)Tony Richardson (85) and his sister June Avis (90) in Asda car park where they were given a parking ticket (Photo by Jon Rigby)
Tony Richardson (85) and his sister June Avis (90) in Asda car park where they were given a parking ticket (Photo by Jon Rigby)

Tony Richardson had just parked in a disabled space in the car park outside Crumbles Asda in Eastbourne when his 90-year-old sister June Avis suffered a bad fall.

Not thinking about anything else, Mr Richardson rushed to help her.

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In the confusion he hadn’t presented his sister’s blue badge, and by the time he did he was being given a parking ticket.

The 84-year-old said, “I haven’t done anything wrong. It was an emergency situation. I’d been too busy sorting her out. It’s the last thing I was thinking of.”

He added, “The parking man said don’t worry about it. He said it was too late, if you write an appeal it will be fine.”

Mr Richardson, of Western Road, said he gathered all the information and wrote an appeal against the ticket.

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Having not heard anything for six months, he thought the issue had been dealt with.

That was, until a notice arrived this month saying he had not sent the evidence to the company, ParkingEye.

He said, “They said they haven’t received any of it. They definitely have everything they wanted.

“Then to leave it for five and a half months just seems ridiculous.”

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He said he would not pay the fine, “It’s not that I can’t afford to, but it’s the principal.

“I think all the work I have done for charity over the years, and then I get this. I don’t deserve it.”

Since getting in touch with the Herald Mr Richardson says he has received a letter from the car park company cancelling the fine.

A ParkingEye spokesperson said, “We have cancelled this charge as a gesture of goodwill.

“We encourage people to appeal a parking charge if they think there are mitigating circumstances.”