Woman fined for wrong ticket

That is the view of Councillor James Tinseley after Belfast woman Barbara McMullan, a motorist who suffers from a serious illness, was issued a £90 fine.

The fine was issued after she parked her Mercedes in a disabled bay in a pay and display car park at Smithfield Square car park near Haslem’s Lane on Saturday afternoon.

She along with her 81-year-old disabled mother and son left the car to go on a short shopping trip to purchase a birthday card. She displayed a disabled badge on the dash board and a ticket that her son got from a nearby machine which was too placed on the front windscreen. They returned less than an hour later to find that they were issued with a ticket that stated they were parked in the car park without a valid ticket.

“I bought the ticket in good faith and believed that I did the right thing,” said Barbara. Her cousin Ruth Kerr from Lisburn said, “I am absolutely livid. She was fined for displaying the wrong ticket - even though she paid extra.

“She bought a ticket for a £1. 30p more than she should have paid and still got a ticket. This is a total disgrace. The attendant should have at least seen the disabled badge and made allowances. She said that she will never be back in Lisburn again. More should be done, kiosks should be clearly and properly marked to stop people from making these mistakes.”

A DRD spokesperson said, “The owner of the vehicle has the right to make a challenge in writing if they believe it has been issued incorrectly.”