A disabled woman is devastated after parking chiefs insisted she pays for a ticket she received hours after her mother died.

Mo Maugan’s mother Winnifred Petley died after a two-week stay in Worthing General Hospital.

Ms Maughan left the hospital and went to her parked car in Lyndhurst Road but it had a puncture and she cannot change tyres as she is disabled.

The 71-year-old got a lift home to Worthing seafront with her daughter and she fell asleep for hours.

She said the next day – incredibly upset – she returned to her car to see it had a £35 ticket which will raise to £70 if not paid in time.


MORE:


She appealed against the ticket and explained the circumstances of the car being left there.

But NSL, the parking contractors, and Worthing Borough Council have turned down her appeal.

She accepts the car was parked illegally but added “if death and dying doesn’t count what does?”

She told The Argus: “I admit that I get parking tickets a lot and I always pay.

“But this time there is a principle at stake.

“My mother had just died.

“It was 3am and pouring with rain. I had a puncture.

“I rang my daughter to take me home.

“I couldn’t change the puncture myself – I am 71 and disabled.

“I didn’t think, all I could think was, ‘my mum has gone’.

“I hadn’t slept properly for two weeks and then I just slept and slept.

“My children did not want to wake me.

“Then the parking contractors had the audacity to say ‘sorry your mum has died’ but not to drop the charges.”

The Argus contacted both NSL and Worthing Borough Council.

A council spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that in this case an appeal was rejected based on the information provided.

“The motorist was duly sent a letter that stated grounds for further appeal, but no subsequent appeal was received.

“NSL provide all motorists the opportunity to challenge an appeal decision before sending a recovery order.”