A blind pensioner is taking on Islington Council after she was given a ticket for parking in a disabled bay on a visit to hospital.

Elizabeth Jones, 85, is registered disabled and has a blue badge parking permit, but was given a penalty charge notice when a friend stopped in a disabled bay outside the Whittington Hospital in Magdala Avenue while she went inside for an appointment.

Although it was a disabled spot, the only driver allowed to park in it lives nearby.

She submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, seen by the Gazette, which shows the number of tickets given out in the bays has risen from 131 in 2011 to 414 last year, and 236 so far this year.

She said: “A friend volunteered to take me for my hospital appointment.

“We saw a disabled bay right outside the hospital and as I am a blue badge holder we parked up. I was in for about 25 minutes and when I came out I found a parking ticket.

“I called and wrote to the council but they wouldn’t refund it.

“I was really cross, they didn’t give me any consideration and I think the signage is misleading. So I put in an FOI. The number of tickets is going up every year so it must be misleading. I really don’t understand it.”

A council spokesman said: “This parking space is one of three bays on Magdala Avenue which are allocated to specific individual residents.

“The residents who have permission to park there have been medically assessed and need a dedicated parking space in this location.

“We need to make sure these bays are always available for the authorised residents, and whilst we are sorry a ticket was issued in this case, we believe the signs and road markings for this bay are clear.”