Council apology for grieving Darwen man

6:30pm Friday 18th July 2008

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A PENSIONER was fined for parking outside his home after the council failed to remove a disabled bay when his wife died.

Council bosses have now apologised to James Foxcroft, 77, of Highfield Road, Darwen, and pledged to remove the bay ‘as soon as possible’.

The bay was installed 20 years ago for his disabled and partially-sighted wife Lilian as the couple’s home did not have a driveway.

But Mr Foxcroft said the failure to remove it after she died in early April had meant he could not park outside his home.

And in the days after his wife died he even got a parking ticket for leaving his car there.

He said he had been constantly asking Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council to remove the bay.

But council bosses said that request had to be made in writing. However they have now apologised and pledged swift action.

Mr Foxcroft said: “I am not a young man. I am 77 years old and I have to park some distance away from my house and carry my things in.

“It gets busy, especially at night because there’s a pub at the bottom of the road.

“Getting it removed would help me a lot when I am carrying out my jobs.

“I am sick of contacting the council and nothing being done. I feel like giving up.

“Nobody is using it and my neighbours want to see it scrubbed off as well.

“To make matters worse, three or four days after my wife died I got a fine for parking in the bay, which adds to my distress.”

Adam Scott, strategic director of regeneration and environment for the council, said: “When a disabled bay is no longer required by a resident, the council asks for a written request from the property to remove the bay.

“This is to ensure that the request is genuinely from the occupier and not someone else who wants the bay removing.

"We cannot find a record of Mr Foxcroft's request but rather than delay the matter any further, I have instructed the bay to be removed as soon as possible.

“We apologise for the inconvenience the delay has caused. It must be noted that the bay will remain enforceable until it is removed."