MY SON has an annual £60 parking permit displayed in his car.

Last week, ironically another parking voucher purchased to legally park elsewhere slipped between his permit and the windscreen.

Our area has so-called “soft parking restrictions”, which means permits only between 10am and 11am and from 7–8pm.

It is patrolled daily, so my son’s car would have been checked hundreds of times as it has had a valid permit ever since the scheme was implemented.

A neighbour saw a parking attendant issuing my son’s car with a ticket, and tried to reason with him, with a view to at least let her knock on our door.

But it was too late – the ticket had been issued (at 10.58am and 29 seconds).

When I found out, I challenged the ticket, asking for commonsense to prevail, admitting the error and apologising.

I also stated my son is a hard-up student encouraged to pay and park to prevent such occurences.

My plea was ignored, my challenge turned down and I now have to pay £35 on top of £150 in visitors’ permits and the £60 permit fee.

I cannot physically park outside my own home as it has double yellow lines. My friends and family have to use visitors’ vouchers to see us – in any other guise it would be legalised extortion and possibly a criminal offence.

Karen Axten, Park Avenue, Hove