Anger as Shrewsbury war hero hit by parking ticket
A 90-year-old disabled war veteran from Shropshire was issued with a parking ticket for displaying his blue badge upside down as he attended a Remembrance Day service.
George Roberts was paying respects to his fallen comrades at St Chad's Church in Shrewsbury on Sunday when the ticket was issued just before 11am.
Following the service, the wheelchair-bound pensioner, from Monkmoor in Shrewsbury, returned to his car to find he had been landed with a £70 fine because his blue badge was not displayed correctly.
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According to his grand-daughter Kerrieanne McMullen, 29, the family tried to reason with the traffic warden but were told they would have to take it up with the council.
She said: "The blue badge was displayed but the wrong way around so you couldn't see the expiry date. To get a ticket on Armistice Day was disgraceful,"
Shropshire council bosses today apologised and said they would be cancelling the ticket.
Mr Roberts served with the Royal Artillery Regiment during the Allied invasion of north Africa in 1942.
He attends the Remembrance Day procession every year, alongside members of his family. The pensioner has been driving for more than 70 years and had never received a parking ticket.
He said: "I was struggling to get out of my car and I must have disturbed my blue badge.
"Many millions of men never came back from the war, and I went through it all without a bullet – only to get shot by this."
Mr Robert's family have set up a Facebook page about the incident which has attracted more than 100 followers.
Shropshire councillor Steve Charmley, cabinet member for public protection, today apologised.
He said: "After reviewing the circumstances we can confirm that Mr Roberts's penalty charge notice will be cancelled."
