A retired policeman is pleading with a parking company to see sense after he was fined nearly £100 for parking in a free car park.

Michael Bibby says he is fighting a “ridiculous” fine issued at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Greenhithe when he forgot to display his blue badge when he parked in a disabled bay.

The 73-year-old believes the penalty charge, handed to him by Parking Control Management UK Ltd (PCM), is particularly unfair as it was issued at a car park which has more than 13,000 spaces and is free for users.

Michael, who lives in High Firs, Swanley, has Parkinson’s Disease and dementia and uses a wheelchair and a walking frame to get around.

He is only able to walk to the toilet and back at home without support but regularly visits Bluewater, taking a family member to help him get around.

But during his visit to the shopping centre on February 29 with daughter Charlotte Tiller he accidentally put his blue badge in the glove compartment when asked by her to display it and when they returned to their car they found a fine for £95.

Charlotte told KentOnline: “There were loads of other spaces in the car park. It was obvious we had not just parked there because there was nowhere else to park.

“We had to park that close as my dad can’t walk.

“The person had taken so many pictures it was clearly a jobsworth with a lot of time on their hands.

“I was furious. The time on the penalty notice was 10 minutes after we had left the car so they were probably waiting around to jump on the car.”

The swimming teacher admitted they had made a mistake but hoped by writing to parking company PCM and explaining the mix-up they would be exempt from the fine.

The 46-year-old is particularly annoyed as Bluewater car park is free and you don’t have to prove you have a right to park in a parent and child space, but you do if it’s a disabled bay.

“It’s ridiculous that we have to pay a £95 to pay in a free car park,” she said. “No one else has to pay.

“We could have parked anywhere else and not paid but my dad can’t walk that far.”

The mum-of-two attempted to appeal the fine by showing her badge retrospectively but was told by PCM, which manages the appeals, that it does not work that way.

They were given the chance to take their fight to the Independent Appeals Service but were warned the offer of a discount for early payment would be withdrawn and the full £95 parking charge applied if their appeal was rejected.

The family decided to pay the reduced £57 but attempted to try their luck with the independent company.

However, the IAS refused them the opportunity to take it any further as they had already paid the fine.

Michael, who served in the Metropolitan police for 30 years, said he feels guilty for making the mistake which has cost his daughter so much stress and time.

A spokesman for Parking Control Management (UK) Ltd said: “Our aim is to ensure those who need accessible bays are able to park.

“Displaying a valid blue badge at the time of parking is an important part of allowing us to protect those bays against misuse.

“Sadly, accepting retrospective evidence of blue badges is difficult owing to widespread fraudulent use.

“It is important that those with accessibility issues help protect parking bays they need by displaying a valid blue badge at the time of parking.”

According to the Citizens Advice Bureau if you have broken the parking rules by mistake you are entitled appeal.

Its website states: “The Equality Act 2010 means blue badge holders must be treated with understanding and can’t be discriminated against.

“Make sure you explain in your appeal why you misunderstood the parking rules, including if your disability made it hard for you to understand the rules, for example a sign was a long way away and you can’t walk far to read it or the signs or road markings weren’t clear, for example if it was dark and they were badly lit.”