A DRIVER says more spaces for disabled people are needed in Southend after she was fined by “overzealous” wardens for parking on double yellow lines for 15 minutes.

Janine Armitage, 42, who requires crutches to walk and a mobility scooter, was “horrified” after coming back from a 15-minute trip to a bank to find a fine on her windscreen.

The Southend resident parked close to the junction of Princes Street and London Road but was fined for leaving her car in a “no parking/loading area”.

After her appeal to see the fine overturned was rejected, Ms Armitage admits she was in the wrong but has slammed a lack of disabled parking spaces near the city centre which left her “no other choice”.

She said: “They have parking spaces near the roundabout at the top of Princes Street but not one is for disabled people at all, it is the luck of the draw it feels. There isn’t enough disabled parking, there are no disabled parking spaces near where we were, we need more.”

However, Tory cabinet member for highways Kevin Buck insisted there are “thousands of parking spaces in the city centre”.

Ms Armitage said: “It really put a dampener on my day and to be honest. It feels like Southend Council don’t really care about the disabled, they don’t give provisions to the disabled and seem to have focused more on electric vehicle charging ports than disabled parking.

“I was just trying to visit the bank and it has been so annoying as usually you can park on double yellow lines for up to three hours with the clock displayed. We were there for around 15 minutes.

“I’ve been fined £35. I really don’t know where the signs informing me I couldn’t park were still.”

Mr Buck said: “I do sympathise with the fact that we could improve on the provision of disabled parking bays closer to the city centre.

“My advice would be to make sure you understand the rules. There are always ways to fall foul of them.”

A council spokesperson added: “Any vehicle clearly displaying a blue badge can park in disabled bays for the period indicated on signs, any roadside pay and display bays and any council-owned pay and display car park, all free of charge. Blue badge holders can also park for up to three hours on single or double yellow lines, where there is no loading or unloading restriction.”