On Wednesday a parking warden issued a ticket claiming I had not displayed my disabled badge.

A shop manager confirmed my badge was quite clearly displayed and vowed to be my witness if required.

Having driven a short distance, I found and confronted the warden and asked why he had issued the ticket.

Had he not seen it clearly displayed, with the expiry dated visible as August 2006?

"Oh yes," he replied, "but I could not see the serial number. If you write in, sir, they will revoke the ticket and you should be all right."

I have never heard such claptrap in my life.

My belief is that wardens issue such tickets to disabled badge holders with the deliberate hope that rather than go to court, elderly people (which most badge holders are) will pay the £30 fine, producing a nice little earner for the warden.

This is nothing but a nasty and deliberate attempt to obtain money by fraudulent claims that motorists are in breach of traffic violation when they are not.

How can a serial number be required for proof of a violation? Under that premise, every badge in the country would receive a parking ticket.

Wardens using this despicable practice should be charged themselves and fined accordingly.

This arrogant warden shrugged his shoulders when I pointed out the inconvenience he had caused me as I would now have to make a written protest against his ticket which should never have been issued in the first place.

-E Charman, Saltdean