Woman, 85, fined after parking permit stolen

An elderly disabled woman was issued with three parking tickets despite being allowed to park outside her home.

Helena Lada-Grodzicka, 85, had left her car in the resident's parking bay outside her Ealing home when it was stolen five months ago.

Although police retrieved the car shortly after, her disabled parking permit had been taken from the vehicle. Police wrote a note explaining a replacement permit was being sought and left it in the front window for traffic wardens to read.

Despite the note, which officially made Mrs Lada-Grodzicka exempt from being targeted by traffic wardens, she was issued with three parking tickets totalling £90 over the following six days.

When Mrs Lada-Grodzicka complained to Ealing council and explained the circumstances, the first ticket was eventually dropped but she was informed she would have to pay the remaining two tickets.

It was only after the intervention of the Evening Standard that the council admitted the circumstances were identical in the case of all three tickets and cancelled them.

Mrs Lada-Grodzicka said: "I am very angry that it has taken the council this long to realise that I should not have to pay the tickets."

An Ealing council spokeswoman apologised to Mrs Lada-Grodzicka and said: "We are sorry for any inconvenience that has been caused."