Disabled OAP slapped with £100 parking fine after he couldn't reach pay machine

A disabled pensioner was slapped with a hefty parking ticket after he couldn't reach the pay machine because it was blocked by debris.

Bernard Armer, 69, has been hit with a £100 parking charge after falling to buy a 50p ticket for a 15 minute stay because the car park's pay machine was not within his reach.

Because Bernard uses a walking stick - as he suffers from arthritis, diabetes and alopecia - he was unable to get close enough to pay the ticket at the meter, which was blocked by machinery and pallets.

The 69-year-old could also not use an alternative method of payment, such as an app or phoning the automated phone line, as his telephone does not have access to the internet.

Weeks went by after the incident, when to Bernard's surprise, he received a letter in the post.

It informed him that he hadn't paid the 50p parking ticket, he now needs to pay £60.

But the pensioner decided to appeal the fine, and went on to explain the situation to Euro Car Park, who run the car park.

Shockingly, they declined his appeal and increased the fine to £100.

The great-grandad-of-two, from Leyland, Lancashire, said: “My phone is just an old Nokia, it’s for calls and texts, I don’t know how to use any of these fancy buttons.

"I feel very anxious, I don’t need it at the moment.

"I wouldn’t have had all this trouble if the ticket machine was working.

"I just want people that are older than me, if they’ve got tickets, to take them to court."

He added: "Old-age pensioners shouldn’t have to pay all this money, they haven’t got it.

"What are they supposed to do? It’s just hard work."

Since the OAP was fined on 30 September, Bernard says that Euro Car Parks have put up clearer sinage.

But, they have not moved the obstacles blocking the machine.

He said: "Three weeks later, they've put new signs up including a new one at the back.

"They honestly knew that the signs were not adequate enough for you to see.

"That's why they do all of these tickets."

His family friend Lorraine Symthies, 43, has opened up about the situation, saying that his alopecia is getting worse' because of the stress of the fine.

Lorraine went on to explain: “Bernard suffers from alopecia and is riddled with arthritis and diabetes, and when he gets stressed his fingernails start falling off.

"So because of the stress of it all and the worry, his alopecia is getting worse."

Euro Car Parks has been contacted by The Mirror for a comment.