An angry motorist penalised for parking in a disabled bay punched the traffic warden and told him to go back to his own country and give out tickets there.

Mark Roberts left his car in the Lockmeadow car park in Maidstone while he went for a meal but did not have a blue badge.

He came back to the car to find he'd got a ticket and picked it up and threw it at the parking attendant, who was still at the scene.

Roberts then started shouting at him, calling him vile names.

During the incident, on February 15, he shoved the warden before punching him in the temple and telling him: "**** off back to your own country and give tickets out there."

An eye-witness tried to intervene and stop the attack, before the police were called and Roberts was arrested.

The 37-year-old, of Old Tovil Road, Maidstone, admitted assault by beating and racially aggravated behaviour when he appeared before magistrates in Medway on October 19.

The court heard the parking attendant had written a victim impact statement after the incident.

In it he said: "I have been assaulted three times doing my job and I had to take time off work after the attack and I didn't get paid. It has left me anxious and upset."

He said he suffered pain in his temple after the assault.

The bench heard Roberts, who works two jobs to make ends meet, was deeply apologetic and didn't realise he had parked in a disabled bay.

Magistrates were told it had been an emotional day for him as it was the birthday of his brother, who had passed away.

They placed him on a 12-month community order which will see him carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to the traffic warden.