A volunteer driver was landed with a £60 fine after falling foul of new parking rules at a doctors' surgery.

Keith Wright, who works with charity Involve, had taken a disabled woman to the The College Practice in College Road, Maidstone, as he has done for 14 years.

The 75-year-old was shocked three weeks later when a fine from parking contractor Civil Enforcement Ltd arrived in the post.

No one approached him on the day while he was parked in one of three bays designed for people with limited mobility while he waited for her for half an hour.

He said: "I parked in the forecourt in the disabled area, as I have always done, and helped the client out.

"I returned to the car, placed my official badge in the window of the car and waited in the car in case access was required.

"It offends me that the surgery hasn't got the facility for talking to people and doesn’t recognise we are doing a favour for someone" - Keith Wright

"I am a volunteer driver and make no profit from helping people. It offends me that the surgery hasn’t got the facility for talking to people and doesn’t recognise we are doing a favour for someone. If they had a problem they could have walked outside and talked to me."

The new rules, which Mr Wright says he was unaware of, mean that drivers must enter their registration inside the surgery and park in a separate area of the car park.

But official appeals from the bureau to the parking firm and surgery were unsuccessful.

Mr Wright has paid the fine but says he will no longer take patients to surgeries.

He says the medical practice should follow the lead of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals, which allow free parking for badged volunteer drivers.

However, practice manager Alex Willoughby said it was complaints from patients about difficulties in parking that had prompted the restrictions and that legitimate surgery users would be supported in their appeals.

She said: "It is very unfortunate if someone legitimately using the car park does get a ticket as the system is there to help patients.

"Where we are aware this has happened we can provide a letter to help in an appeal."

Keith Wright has worked with Maidstone Volunteer Bureau (MVB), Voluntary Action Maidstone (VAM) and now Involve for the past 14 years.

Involve is appealing for more people to put themselves forward as drivers.

If you can spare a small amount of time and would like to register as a volunteer driver, call 01622 756662 or email community.transport@involvekent.org.uk