An elderly Fife woman is being pursued for a parking fine as she grieves the loss of her husband.
Helena Linton, 76, was fined an initial £60 for parking her Renault Captur at the Kingdom Shopping Centre in Glenrothes on Thursday, December 7 last year.
This is despite the Leven woman having a valid £1 all-day ticket, which she purchased around 35 minutes before a parking attendant brandished the penalty.
Because she contested it, UK Parking Control’s (UKPC) fine increased to £100 after 14 days.
This could now rise to £170 after ombudsman Popla dismissed her appeal.
It all comes as Helena comes to terms with the death of her husband Archibald, 80, less than a month after being hit with the fine.
She also suffered a heart attack on the day her husband was taken to hospital.
“I thought they would show some compassion,” she said.
Fife woman given parking fine despite having valid ticket
Helena was in Glenrothes for Christmas shopping on the day she was fined.
“When I arrived, a parking attendant was there and said we had to pay,” she recalled.
“I got the ticket and thought, ‘That’s cheap, a pound for the whole day’.
“But then when I came back there was a parking ticket stuck on it.
“I put the ticket on the dashboard but it was a stormy, blowy day.
“So when I closed the car door it must have blown onto its front because you couldn’t see the date on it.
“I took a picture of the parking ticket and sent them it but they said I still had to pay.
“I wouldn’t dream of not buying a parking ticket.”
Helena being ‘hounded’ after heart attack and husband’s death
Archibald had throat cancer and was admitted to hospital on December 27 – the same day that Helena suffered a heart attack.
“I had a heart attack after seeing my husband struggling to breathe,” she said.
“I called an ambulance that ended up taking me to Ninewells Hospital and another one took him to Victoria Hospital.
“I was fitted with three stents. I got out of hospital on Saturday and he died early on Thursday morning, January 4.
“He had been taken to a hospice. I had two days with him.”
Helena tried to get the fine overturned after coming out of hospital.
“I gave them evidence that I had paid the £1 fee and explained all that had gone on.
“I thought there would be a touch of compassion shown towards the horrific situation that I had found myself in, recovering from a heart attack and trying to arrange a funeral.
“But UKPC decided to continue hounding me to pay the fine.
“That’s when I took my appeal to Popla and they also decided that a pensioner who purchased a ticket but didn’t realise that the ticket had flipped over as we were trying to seek shelter out of the rain and wind should be made to pay a fine.
“What a horrendous world we live in.
“We did not try to cheat the system – yet I am being treated like I was.
“I’m just so angry.”
The Courier has contacted UKPC and Popla for comment.
Conversation