A French motorist whose car was wrongly crushed is still waiting for compensation more than six weeks later.

Brighton and Hove City Council apologised after Caroline Peytavi's Renault 4 was towed away and destroyed because parking attendants assumed it was dumped.

Being French-registered, the vehicle did not require a tax disc and it was legally parked in Lancaster Road, near Seven Dials.

Wardens slapped a notice on the car warning Ms Peytavi it was suspected of being abandoned and, although she confirmed it was hers within seven days, it was destroyed anyway.

She said: "The council told me to send a letter explaining everything, which I did. They replied saying they were dealing with it but I've not heard anything else.

"In the meantime, I have not got a car.

"I phoned them to ask if they could send me a letter saying it was their mistake which I could forward to my insurance firm. But I have had nothing at all."

A council spokesman said: "We received a letter from Ms Peytavi on May 15. We passed it on to our claim handlers and notified her of this.

"The claim handlers also wrote to her in early June to confirm that they were assessing the claim.

"On third party claims like this we are obliged to respond within three months. Our insurers will be writing to Ms Peytavi in the very near future - and certainly well within the three month deadline - to make her an offer."