A nurse hit with a £50 parking fine while on jury service at a murder trial has slammed council staff after they refused to waive the fine.

Linda Wilson has refused to pay Maidstone Borough Council because she was stopped from leaving court to add money to the meter.

The 50-year-old had been on jury service for almost two weeks at Maidstone Crown Court last month when the trial concluded unexpectedly and the jurors were called in for deliberation.

Throughout, she had been parking at the car park opposite the court in Barker Road and paying up until lunchtime, when she would go out and top it up if needed.

You cannot claim back parking costs while on jury service, so Linda, of The Rise, Halfway, had not wanted to pay for a whole day when sometimes they had left after only half a day.

As soon as she discovered they would be deliberating, Linda, who is a nurse at the Sheppey Prison Cluster, asked the clerk if she could go and pay more but she was not allowed to leave.

She said: “I didn’t know I was going in for deliberation that day, so I put three hours on.

“I asked if I could be escorted out to put extra money on, but I wasn’t allowed.”

She knew she would get a fine so Linda approached the court, which gave her a letter saying she had been kept in.

She sent this, along with a covering letter and a copy of the ticket, to Maidstone council but was shocked to get a response saying the fine would be enforced.

Linda added: “The council’s letter said parking regulations were clearly displayed and that when at court you should allow for some degree of time lapse.

"But I have never done jury service before and didn’t know what it was all about – I didn’t know they wouldn’t let you out.

“There’s no reason why they couldn’t have excused me from it – I think it’s disgusting.

“If I had just put an hour on the clock or was shopping or at the cinema, I could understand it as that would have just been me being cheap.

“If I end up having to pay it I will, but it’s worth a fight.”

A spokesman for Maidstone Borough Council said: “On this occasion the appeal was rejected because the court can often run late and the court advises jurors to purchase a daily ticket, which costs £4.50.

"The court does not reimburse the cost of parking tickets, but it will pay £2.50 towards the cost, which is the equivalent of a park and ride journey.”