Council bosses have been asked to give people with debilitating illnesses permission to park on yellow lines if they need to.

Brighton and Hove City Council opposition leader Brian Oxley has called for sufferers of conditions such as colitis or Crohn's Disease to be treated more sympathetically by city parking attendants.

Their illness means they sometimes have to dash to the nearest public toilet, often at short notice.

Sufferers are given yellow stickers for their cars by the National Association of Colitis and Crohn's disease but the new parking attendants have been told to issue tickets even if the badge is displayed.

It is up to the driver to appeal on the grounds of medical emergency.

The issue came to light after The Argus highlighted the problems faced by the estimated 350 sufferers of colitis and Crohn's in the city.

The Tory councillor said: "People who have permanent medical conditions have enough to deal with, without being fined when their illness makes if difficult for them to park within the new rules.

"Sufferers of Crohn's and colitis only need to park for a very short time.

"I would have hoped that in this day and age, the council's employees would feel able to allow the necessary leeway.

"I have written to the council asking if this can be considered more sympathetically."