City parking attendants are threatening the work of meals on wheels by issuing tickets to volunteers.

One volunteer has already quit the service after getting booked while delivering meals to the elderly.

Others say they are fed up having to worry about getting a ticket.

The Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) delivers about 400 meals a day in Brighton and Hove from depots in Olive Road, Hove, and Chapel Road, Kemp Town, Brighton.

Many volunteers have resorted to putting up signs stating they are from the WRVS meals on wheels service in the hope parking attendants will show mercy.

Brian Merritt, district food organiser for the Brighton WRVS office, said: "We were told we were not eligible for waivers or permits when the parking schemes started. So our volunteers have put signs in car windows.

"The blue boxes containing the meals are clearly visible so it is obvious we are making deliveries of the meals.

"This should not be happening and some of the volunteers are very worried.

"We have an obligation to get meals to people and don't spend more than a few minutes at each place."

Volunteers sometimes had to park in one spot for a longer time if delivering meals to several people in the same area.

Their case has been taken up by Mayor Jeane Lepper, who said she was appalled after learning about the problems at a visit to the Brighton depot.

Coun Lepper said: "They are all volunteers and use their own cars.

"Because the meals are hot, they need to get as close as possible to the homes of the elderly people.

"They have signs on the cars saying they are from the WRVS meals on wheels service.

"This is an essential social service. NCP and the city council should make sure they don't get tickets."

About 20 tickets have been issued to volunteers and in two cases people have been threatened with court action.

In most other cases, the tickets have been scrapped after volunteers appealed.

A council spokeswoman said: "We can't accept private notes on cars as valid, as not everyone is always honest.

"However, the council offers lots of permits which carers and volunteers can apply for.

"These are valid for one hour.

"Obviously if they stay longer than that, they run the risk of getting a ticket.

"If there was a reason they had to stay longer, they could appeal and we would most probably give them their money back.

"We don't think this is unfair. We are doing as much as we can within the system to help them and, as most volunteers have got full refunds, this seems to be an example of the system working rather than not working.

"However, if meals on wheels volunteers have had problems, they should get in touch with the parking office and we will try to sort it out as quickly as possible."