Disabled woman, 76, gets £70 parking tickets in 'daily battle' with enforcement

A woman who, at the age of 76, has grown to dread parking outside of her own home. This is because Maria Rodriquez alleges that she is forced to leave her car on the street outside her house due to her condition, but keeps getting slapped with £70 parking fines for doing so.

The 76-year-old says that she has been asking the council for five years to turn the double yellow lines outside her home into a disabled parking bay, but has yet to get anywhere. In the meantime, the number of yellow slapped on the Liverpool resident's car continues to pile up.

Sefton Council has defended the fines issued to Ms Rodriguez, stating they are in line with national enforcement guidelines concerning However, Maria argues that these rules are too strictly enforced and fail to consider her individual situation.

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The reports that the penalty charge notices given to Maria are a result of incorrectly display of her blue badge and time card. Yet, for Maria, who speaks English as a second language, she asserts she was instructed to position the blue badge on the side.

When asked if the explanations could have been misunderstood due to language barriers, Maria concurred but insisted that she had explained her situation and circumstances to officials.

A Blue Badge is a parking permit enabling individuals with disabilities to park nearer to their destination than standard parking spaces. Maria successfully applied for a Blue Badge and utilises it daily as she goes about her weekly tasks. However, the issues begin when she gets back home and struggles to find a parking spot.

She revealed that due to the absence of a disabled parking bay, she's often compelled to park away from her house. Maria expressed her frustration, saying: 'I'm just tired of all this because I keep getting £70 fines for parking outside my own house. How can this be?

"I have lived here for 23 years and I remember the day that this [parking situation] changed. A machine came to do the yellow lines just on the corner - nowhere else. I had been asking for the disabled bay for many years but they didn't do that."

Maria, who is registered as disabled and has mobility issues affecting her independence and movement, relies heavily on her car and needs parking near her front door. Without resident or disabled bay parking, Maria said her life has turned into a daily struggle.

Maria added: "There are people that don't understand that [the need for appropriate parking for drivers with disabilities]. If people had someone in their family, they would probably understand and they could make their voice heard louder than mine because I live alone and it's difficult to get people to listen.

When asked if she feels the council has made an effort to comprehend her need for accessible parking and to clarify display guidance, Maria responded: "Well, the question is very interesting.

"I contacted the council to explain, but all they say is that this [fine] needs to be paid.

A spokesperson for Sefton Council highlighted the strict regulations surrounding Blue Badge use, saying: "There are a number of nationally set rules and responsibilities that must be adhered to when using a Blue Badge.

"One of those rules states that all Blue Badge holders must ensure their badges or time clocks are displayed correctly and made visible in the vehicle they are using, regardless of where they park.

"If this is not done so then a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) may be issued. ".