A pensioner was left stranded at midnight at a railway station after her car was wrongly wheel-clamped.

Now 76-year-old widow Hazel Craig-Hallam has won back her £60 clamping fee back and an apology after The Argus intervened.

Mrs Craig-Hallam's ordeal began when she arrived at Bognor station to find her car had been clamped even though she had paid the £1.80 parking fee.

Under protest, she paid to get her Ford Escort released rather than walk two miles home to Aldwick or get a taxi.

Earlier that day Mrs Craig-Hallam arrived at the station to find she did not have £1 80 in change for the ticket machine.

Rail travellers are allowed to purchase parking tickets when they buying their train tickets, with staff noting their registration number so they will not be clamped.

Mrs Craig-Hallam paid for her parking space at the same time as paying for her return ticket to East Croydon, where she was due to attend an evening meeting.

She had used this procedure at least six times and was furious when she found her vehicle had been clamped.

She said: "I could not believe it. Luckily there was a member of the station staff who allowed me to use his mobile to phone the representative of the clamping company.

"He arrived and I argued with him that I had paid for the ticket.

"But he was a jobsworth who demanded £60, first in cash and then a cheque. I did not have the cash or a cheque book on me.

"The guy would not give me a lift home even though he was virtually passing my front door, or give me a lift to the police station so they could mediate and sort it out.

"Eventually I agreed to pay by credit card and he released the car."

The Argus contacted clamping company Security International and managing director Clive Deacon agreed there had been a "series of unfortunate events".

Mr Deacon said: "We were not given the information that the driver had paid for her car parking ticket. We will look at the procedures again.

"I can see there were some errors out of our control and we will send a refund and an apology."

Mrs Craig-Hallam said: "It seems the car was clamped after the ticket office at the station closed at 8pm when there was no way of checking with the ticket office which cars had paid for parking.

"Another car had also been clamped. Now, thanks to The Argus, I am getting my £60 back."