HOW I sympathise with Mr Paul Walsh's son (LET, July 9) about parking tickets. Exactly the same thing happened to me.

The pay ticket was on the floor of my car when I returned to it and a penalty charge notice was on the windscreen.

This happened on April 22 2005. As I was about to go on holiday, I paid the £30 charge the day after and enclosed a letter of appeal and a stamped addressed envelope for a reply and a receipt (or my cheque returned). Nothing.

I wrote again four weeks later and again enclosed an sae.

On June 2 I received the letter from Mr Bell, identical to the one received by Mr Walsh which also gave me the chance to pay the fine within the next two weeks.

I then sent an e-mail to Mr Bell.

I received a recepit dated June 17 and notice that the matter was now closed.

At no time did I criticise the parking attendant.

He was only doing his job.

But I did think that Blackburn with Darwen Council had a heart.

How naive of me.

ALMA NICHOLLS, Yew Tree Drive, Blackburn.