Disabled Scottish pensioner hit with £100 fine for parking 'one inch' outside parking zone during weekly Aldi shop

Morag Paraskevakis, 78, suffers from arthritis which makes it difficult for her to walk and she has a blue badge on her car to help her get around the city.

Earlier this month, she was heading back to her car from the supermarket in Chesser with the help of her husband George, 73, when they spotted the parking fine on their vehicle’s window.

Morag and husband George outside their home.

The shocked couple went back to the shop to find out why they had received the penalty and were told that the car park was not owned by the store.

After tracking down a car park staff member the pensioners were told that they were fined because they had been an inch outside the parking zone.

'Devastated'

Mr Paraskevakis tried to explain to the ticket issuer that he had tried to find a disabled parking place but after driving around the complex three times eventually had to give up and use a regular spot next to a Range Rover.

And to make sure his disabled wife has access from their car he had to park “very slightly” outside of the parking spot.

The concerned husband said his explanation was disregarded and he was told that he would have to pay £60 on the spot.

The ticketer went on to say that he should “not try his luck” appealing the fine because if he lost the fee would go up to £100.

The devastated couple, from Tollcross said that this cash will be a significant deduction to their shared pension and will make the next few months “very difficult.”

Mr Paraskevakis said: “My wife is devastated and I am very upset with the parking people.

“We are not in a situation where we can afford to appeal the charge and it feels like we have been blackmailed by the system not to appeal.”

'Not enough disabled parking spaces'

The car park is owned by UK Parking Control LTD, just one of the national company’s 2000 parking facilities across the country.

The company, which is disability parking accredited, states on its website that they are a “flexible” business and will “usually only apply parking charges for anyone parking in a marked disabled bay without displaying a valid blue badge.”

But the Paraskevakis’s say that this was not their experience.

The pensioners explained that they use the car park each week and say that it has a real issue with lack of accessible parking for disabled people.

Mr Paraskevakis said: “The issue is there are not enough disabled parking places and we feel forced to park in regular spaces which are difficult for Morag to navigate.”

He went on to say that due to his wife’s disability the couple has become reliant on their car and without adequate parking his wife is forced to spend an increasing amount of time in the couple’s Tollcross home.

He said: “If I don’t take her out with the car she would have to stay in the house 24/7.

The situation has really upset my wife and shaken me quite a lot.”

UK Parking Control LTD did not respond to request for comment.