A mother who had to cancel a family camping trip after her car was stolen has been dealt a further blow.

Sharon Tilley's C-registered Toyota Spacecruiser was discovered smashed up in Grant Street, Brighton - with seven parking tickets slapped on it.

She is furious the car had tickets put on it on five consecutive days, despite the fact it had been reported stolen to police more than a week before.

To add to her distress, hundreds of pounds' worth of camping equipment that had been loaded into the car in preparation for a holiday was missing.

The contents of a handbag, which police believe may have been stolen, were also scattered on the floor of the vehicle.

Miss Tilley is still waiting for the return of the car, which was impounded by police for forensic tests.

Miss Tilley, 42, who works as a carer for the elderly, said: "I cannot believe parking wardens just kept on slapping on tickets day after day.

"After two or three it must have been obvious something was wrong. All they had to do was do a search on the car and they would have discovered it was stolen. It is just ridiculous.

"When it was finally found, the rear windows and a rear door were completely smashed and the parking tickets were scattered on the floor. The contents of a handbag, including credit cards and a cheque, had also been dumped in there.

"What I want to know is whether it was already smashed up while it sat getting parking tickets - surely that should have alerted some attention.

"If it wasn't already smashed, it could have been prevented if only the parking wardens had thought to check."

The car was found on September 2 after Miss Tilley's friend spotted the ransacked vehicle in Grant Street.

It had received seven parking tickets between August 28 and September 1.

The car, loaded with camping equipment, had been stolen from outside the family's house in Brighton and reported missing on August 19.

Miss Tilley said her children, Jacques, ten, and Charlotte, eight, were heartbroken after they were forced to abandon their camping trip and spend the summer in Brighton.

She said the trips were special because they gave Jacques, who has a rare bladder condition, a chance to get out and about.

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said: "The car was parked illegally but not dangerously.

"Cars are quite often left for days on end so the parking wardens had no reason to believe the car was stolen.

"They would only contact the police and ask them to run a check if the car was to be towed away."