A Dover grandma with a disabling brain disease has spoken out over a parking dispute that broke out as she picked up her grandchildren from school.

Vonnie McHugh, 58, of Widred Road, said she was parked near St Richard’s Primary School in Castle Avenue on Friday when she was approached by a traffic warden.

The grandmother of 16 grandchildren, six of whom attend the school, said she parked in front of an unused driveway every day to pick the kids up. She said she knew the drive had not been used in 20 years, and there was a bollard blocking the entrance.

Ms McHugh said she was forced to park elsewhere by the traffic warden, despite explaining her vehicle was not causing an obstruction.

She claims she was called an “irresponsible blue badge holder” and her need to park close to the school was ignored.

She said: “If you work with the public, you should be civil and courteous to them. I was nothing but civil and courteous.

“As a law-abiding citizen, a 58-year-old woman, I should be spoken to in a courteous manner. I totally abhor drivers causing danger outside schools but this was totally unjust.”

The mother-of-six said she has now issued the council with a complaint.

She said: “There are problems with the school and parking, I do appreciate it. I have six grandchildren at that school, and their safety is the most important thing in the world to me.”

The former Morrisons cashier said she moved her car further away from the school to avoid getting a ticket.

Ms McHugh suffers from a rare condition called encephalitis that causes inflammation of the brain.

"If you work with the public, you should be civil and courteous to them. I was nothing but civil and courteous." - Ms McHugh.

It usually begins with flu-like symptoms and can cause confusion, drowsiness, disorientation and seizures.

In Ms McHugh's case it causes problems with mobility and headaches.

She said picking up her children from school provided her with motivation to leave the house each day, after the diagnosis meant she had to quit her job.

Dover District Council would not confirm if it was investigating the complaint as it “would not be appropriate to comment on individual cases”.

A spokesman for DDC added: “DDC continues to work hard to enforce parking regulations to help keep the district safe and accessible for everyone.

“If people have a complaint about a service, we would ask them to contact the council directly.”