01 March 2023 , 08:00
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A disabled woman has been left furious after being slapped with a parking ticket despite having a blue badge.
Maria Trivigno cannot walk long distances due to her mobility issues and recently had a hip replacement.
The 56-year-old attends Victoria Leisure Centre in Nottingham twice a week, which has proved "vital" to her recovery.
She parks opposite the centre in one of two disabled spaces but on February 12 they were both taken so she left her car in a spot marked 'no loading'.
When Maria returned to her car she had a parking fine.
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She appealed the £35 ticket to Nottingham City Council, and deemed the situation "ridiculous".
Bath Street in Nottingham where Maria received a parking ticket (Joseph Raynor/ Nottingham Post)The council said the penalty charge notice was issued because Maria had left her car in a space which blue badge holders are not permitted to park in.
However, the council has since apologised and cancelled the fine after NottinghamshireLive approached it for comment on November 24.
Maria said she still feels "very strongly" about the situation.
She said: "It has put me off from going to the centre - I am very paranoid now.
Maria saw her £35 fine cancelled (Joseph Raynor/ Nottingham Post)"It is just frustrating that I had to go through this. It has taken going to the papers to cancel it.
"I did challenge it before and they refused to cancel it. It is very difficult for disabled people because there is nowhere to park."
She added: "I parked there because I saw people parking on that space before. Even though it says 'no loading', I am not a commercial vehicle, so I do not understand why I would be fined for it.
"It is ridiculous. I have problems with finding somewhere to park, and I do not have a bus stop on my street, where I live, so driving is the only way."
Maria went on to say: "Finding somewhere to park in general is a nightmare, especially when you have mobility issues. It is really appalling - it is not convenient at all."
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A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: “This penalty charge notice was issued because Ms Trivigno had left her car in a space marked ‘no loading’, which blue badge holders are not permitted to park in.
"However, we accept that the road markings here, which highlight a loading restriction, are not as clear as they should be, so we’ve apologised to her and cancelled the fine."