A man fined £100 after rushing to a shopping centre to pick up his ill mother is urging parking company bosses to “show some compassion”.

Darren Hayhurst, from Ash, near Canterbury, has had two appeals rejected despite the incident being an “emergency”.

His 70-year-old mother Rita Armstrong, who is registered disabled, suffers from vertigo and experienced an episode at the Charlton Shopping Centre in Dover.

Mr Hayhurst drove straight to the scene and left his car for 15 minutes in the site’s multi-storey car park, which is managed using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.

He put her Blue Badge on the dashboard - but two days later he received a letter in the post from Civil Enforcement Limited.

The 46-year-old told KentOnline: “A disabled pensioner has fallen ill and I’ve had to rush her home. Why should I be fined for that?

“I’ve never parked there in my life so I wasn't fully aware of the restrictions.

“This was an emergency so I was just thinking about getting my mum home as soon as possible.”

Since receiving the charge, Mr Hayhurst has appealed to Civil Enforcement Limited and Popla, an independent appeals service for parking charge notices. But both his submissions have been rejected.

“I just think they should show some compassion under the circumstances,” he said.

“I am more than happy to pay the original price of the parking ticket. But £100 for a 15-minute stay which was due to an emergency is just ridiculous.”

Ms Armstrong has suffered from vertigo since 2012 and has regular episodes, which can make her “violently sick” and sometimes leave her bedbound for days.

The pensioner rarely leaves the house due to her condition and has been left feeling upset following the fine. She also has fibromyalgia and uses a wheelchair.

“I don’t go out very often at all because I never know when one of these spells will come on,” she said.

“When it happens I need to get home as soon as possible.

“I just don't want to go out anymore.”

Following the incident on August 13, Mr Hayhurst, who is a full-time carer for his mum, has vowed to never visit the shopping centre again.

He added: “Since both of the appeals have been rejected, our next step is to potentially take this matter to court.

“I’ve given them all the relevant details about my mum’s health and they still won’t budge. We both feel very let down.”

Ward councillor for Little Stour and Ashstone, Martin Porter (Con), says he is in "full support" of the pair regarding the parking fine and is also urging it to be withdrawn.

The multi-storey car park at the back of the centre has been earmarked as a potential site for 100 new homes in Dover District Council’s Local Plan, which was agreed last month.

The entire site, including the 28,609 sq ft mall, was set to go up for auction next week, but this has now been withdrawn for a second time. It is up for a freehold guide price of £1.8 million-£2 million.

To find out more about what your rights are after receiving a parking fine, click here

A spokesperson from POPLA said: “POPLA is an independent appeals assessor.

“Our role is to determine whether a parking charge notice (PCN) was issued correctly in accordance with relevant laws and codes of practice, based on evidence provided by both parties.

“When reviewing this appeal POPLA assessed that the PCN was issued correctly. We could not uphold the appeal based on mitigating circumstances.”

Tersons estate agents, which is working on behalf of the centre’s owners, have been approached for a comment.

Private car parks can charge for disabled parking.

Government guidance states: “Off-street car park operators should provide parking spaces for disabled people.

“However, it is up to the car park owner to decide whether badge holders can park free of charge. Do not assume you can always park for free.”

The Kent County Council website says a blue badge badge holder can park for free:

*in allocated disabled bays and on the road

*in any car park for the maximum stay (in line with terms and conditions on display)

*on single or double yellow lines for up to three hours.