Pensioners were handed a £50 fine after a faulty pay and display machine did not accept their 50p cash payment.

John and Sonia Merner of Eclipse Drive, Sittingbourne, had driven into town at about 4pm on Wednesday so Mrs Merner could buy a top in Bonmarché at The Forum.

When the machine would not accept their payment they quickly completed their shopping trip, but returned to find a penalty notice.

They were told by a Swale council parking warden they should have used mobile app RingGo while the machine was out of order.

Mrs Merner, 76, who has chronic arthritis in her knees but does not have a blue disability badge, was advised that, alternatively, they should have found another car park with a working machine.

They have paid the fine, which was discounted to £25 from £50 for early payment.

Mr Merner, 70, said: “I had my 50p ready to pay. I didn’t read I had to pay by mobile phone.

"I saw the parking warden and he said I should’ve paid on a smartphone but we haven’t got one..."

“We only popped in. We were there for seven or eight minutes. I saw the parking warden and he said I should’ve paid on a smartphone but we haven’t got one.

“Then he said we should’ve moved to a different car park, despite my wife having difficulty walking.”

Mr Merner normally drops his wife off in the High Street before he parks in Central Avenue or the Avenue of Remembrance and walks down to meet her.

Mr Merner added: “I do that because of the fear of something like this happening.

“The advent of the smartphone should help people not hinder them. I think we’ve been wronged. We’re an easy touch being in the age group we are.

“We might as well go to the SavaCentre at Hempstead Valley to park for nothing. Surely the council should be promoting people to come into town not get away from it?”

There were similar experiences on Sheppey with machines in Bridge Road, Cross Street and Rose Street all being out of action around Christmas and New Year.

A Swale council spokesman said: “In the rare cases where pay units are not available for use, we are still providing a service to those wishing to park and as more than one payment method is available, it’s reasonable for all drivers to pay for the use of the parking facilities.”

The council confirmed the faulty machine was repaired the following day.

Sonia and John Merner are members of Swale Senior’s Forum.

The organisation, which gives a voice to the concerns of older people in the borough and campaigns on issues which affect them, wrote to Swale council’s cabinet member for community, Cllr Richard Palmer (Swale Ind), to raise the issues around parking last October.

Co-ordinator and former deputy forum chairman, John Greenhill said: “Technology shouldn’t be exclusive, it should be inclusive.

“I don’t think it’s sufficient to say ‘go and park elsewhere’ because the type of person excluded when cash machines are out of operation is the person who doesn’t have the new technology.

“The main groups in that category are disabled and elderly people. Everything is moving towards a cashless society.

“For my age group it’s going to affect us a great deal.”

Last year, we looked at some of the most confusing car parking machines in the county.

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