27-05-2025
Bolton man's plea to council after they 'unfairly fine' him and his disabled wife
A Bolton man says he's been fined unfairly after parking in a disabled spot while on a seaside day out.
James Abercrombie, 48, was in Lytham St Annes with his wife Rachel,46, who has fibromyalgia and uses a wheelchair, for a visit to a food festival.
Mr Abercrombie, who lives in Deane, says that when the couple, who have a blue badge on their car, arrived at the resort's council-operated St Pauls Avenue car park, he pulled into a disabled bay, meaning that, according to the council's rule he did not have to pay for a ticket.
To his surprise, though, a few days after he returned home from their day trip, he received a parking ticket and was ordered to pay £25, with a letter claiming that he was parked in a non-disabled bay.
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(Image: Supplied) Mr Abercrombie says the pictures attached to the letter show his Skoda is parked in a disabled bay with hatched markings visible to the side of the car.
A picture of Mr Abercrombie's Skoda parked up on the day he visited (Image: Supplied) "Either Fylde Council are blind and can't see I'm parked in a disabled bay, or they have just thought they'll have a stab at taking my money," the 48-year-old said.
The couple have been fined an initial £25 for the ticket, which Mr Abercrombie hasn't paid and is disputing, but this will rise to £50 if not paid by May 28.
St Pauls Avenue Car Park (Credit: Google Maps)He added: "We'd just come to Lytham for a food festival, and this has happened.
"My wife has suffered with cancer and has fibromyalgia, so I push her around on a wheelchair, we just wanted to meet some friends and have a coffee.
"You'd think Fylde would want to welcome disabled people for a more diverse audience, but clearly not.
Mr Abercrombe says he parked in the middle spot marked with a wheelchair (Image: Supplied) "I could have parked on the double yellows, as we have the right to with a disabled badge, but that would inconvenience other drivers."
Mr Abercrombie added: "If we have parked in a non-disabled bay, then it certainly wasn't clearly marked, and if so, why are there only two disabled bays if that's the case?"
Fylde Council has been contacted, but has chosen not to comment.
Their website states: "If you park in a designated disabled bay [with a blue badge] you can park free of charge for up to 3 hours."
The Bolton man says that they were not parked for longer than three hours, and a letter from Fylde Council suggests they believe he parked in a non-disabled bay.
