ON my way to visit my brother in Bolton, I made the mistake of having a browse around the market.

When I returned to my car I had been issued with a parking ticket!

I was in a disabled spot and had my badge/clock clearly visible.

I had to drive back to Blackpool, tell Social Services what had happened, get a new blue badge and a letterhead and drive back to Bolton's Parking Shop.

The man that dealt with me said exactly the same as the staff at Social Services -- there's nothing wrong with your badge, granted it is faded, but clearly legible.

A photocopy of the old badge, new badge and Social Services letterhead were taken, along with the form I had to fill in contesting the fine.

Eventually a letter arrived stating that Social Services had been contacted to confirm my details, and to avoid this happening again get a new badge and the fine would be wavered!

I had the unnecessary upset of being booked, the unnecessary trip back to Blackpool, then back to Bolton's Parking Shop.

This is not the way to encourage people to visit Bolton.

J Johnson

Endsleigh Gardens

Blackpool