An 86-year-old from Cliffsend says she is considering chaining herself up at the Thanet Parkway Station in disgust at being issued a fine after being unaware of changes for Blue Badge parking at the site.
Beryl Harrison parked in one of the 16 disabled bays on November 3 last year to catch the train for an appointment at Guys Hospital.
It was the first time the pensioner had used the car park in almost a year after suffering a bad fall in December 2024 that landed her in hospital.
Parish councillor Beryl was laid up in hospital for a month with a fracture, dislocation and crushed bones which required surgery. She did not receive surgery for a shoulder replacement until June 2025 and was unable to drive for a total of nine months.
Disabled parking at Thanet Parkway had been free but in January last year changes were made meaning drivers needed to pre-register their vehicle with parking management company APCOA to receive free parking.
Beryl says there was no notification of this as far as she was aware although a staff member for Thanet Parkway car park contractor Euro Parking said the changes had been displayed online.
Beryl said: “I was in hospital when they changed the rules. They say they put it on a website but I do not know which one and have not been able to find it. I couldn’t use my computer at the time anyway as I could not even lift my arm.”
Beryl says when she attended the official opening event for the £44m station in September 2023 she was specifically told Blue Badge parking was – and would remain- free.
She said: “When Thanet Parkway had the opening event, I was one of the people there for the parish council and on that day we were told the blue badge spaces would have no parking charges and would be free for anyone with a blue badge.
“Now it seems they have changed the rules, I was not able to drive for nine months following a fall and did not use the car park again until November 3 last year. I got a fine for £60 even though I had my blue badge in the window.”
Beryl appealed the fine, sending details of her blue badge, her stay in hospital and the assurance of free parking when she attended the opening but the appeal was rejected.
She also appealed to the Independent Appeals Service but delays in getting the original letter meant she was out of time for the service to help.
During the time she spent appealing the fine was not frozen and went up to £100.
Now Beryl is told if she does not pay the £100 by February 2 the fine will go up again to £170.
Beryl said: “I’m an 86 year old widow on a state pension so this is a significant amount of money. I didn’t see any notification about now having to register your vehicle for the free parking and I know of other people who this has happened to.
“I think Kent County Council, which manages the car park, should write to everyone to let them know of the change. I couldn’t use my computer to see the announcement and not everyone has online access. If anyone else has been fined in the same way contact us (parish council) as we really need to take this up.
“I am willing to go and chain myself to the railings and sit there all day asking other blue badge holders if they have received fines because it is not fair that they have changed the rules like this.”
(Lack of) responses
The Isle of Thanet News approached Southeastern, Kent County Council and Euro Parking.
Southeastern looked into Beryl’s case but has no jurisdiction over parking management at the site.
Kent County Council manages the car park but outsources enforcement to Euro Parking Services. KCC sets the parking rates.
However, a KCC spokesperson said it wasn’t something for the authority to comment on and suggested making an enquiry to “whoever is responsible for the parking charges.”
Euro Parking Services sent a confusing response, saying: “Please note the notice will be issued to the registered keeper’s address with all relevant information. “Currently, we do not have any notice for the mentioned vehicle registration number in the system.
“Please make sure you provide correct VRM.
“As soon we will receive instructions from the authorities, you will be notified.”
The correct registration and PCN reference were provided.
The Isle of Thanet News was unable to find any online notice about the change of blue badge parking to pre-registered vehicles only. Details to pre-register are displayed but no dated notification of the rule change is evident.
UPDATE (February 15)
A Euro Parking spokesperson said: “The PCN was issued in accordance with the terms and conditions of the car park, which are clearly displayed on site through appropriate signage. The parking charges for blue badge holders are applied as per these terms.
“We received Ms. Harrison’s appeal on 29-11-2025 and responded on 08-12-2025. During this period, the PCN was placed on hold while our concerns team carefully reviewed the appeal. Unfortunately, the appeal could not be upheld, and the original PCN remains valid.
“While we understand Ms. Harrison’s personal circumstances, including her recent health challenges, we must apply the parking regulations consistently for all users. We appreciate that changes in parking policy can be unexpected, but the terms and conditions, including the signage regarding blue badge parking, were in place at the time.”
‘Disabled customers receiving fines’
Cliffsend Parish Council posted a notice this month to say: “We have had reports of disabled customers receiving fines at Thanet Parkway Station.
“If using the Blue Badge bays then it is essential that you register your vehicles with APCOA to get free parking (Tel: 0345 2227262 for general enquiries).
“You can register up to 10 vehicles at the APCOA Blue Badge Portal which covers you for all Southeastern car parks, please follow the link – https://bluebadge.apcoa.co.uk/”
Beryl would like to hear from anyone who has been fined at the station despite having a blue badge. Contact her at: [email protected]
