A gardener with crippling colitis has blasted council parking bosses after he was slapped with a £70 fine for pulling over and taking an emergency toilet break.
John Cocker, 54, was in agony from stomach cramps and was forced to pull over in a Ipswich Borough Council car park, last week.
Mr Cocker, who takes a range of medication for his illness, managed to drag himself out of his van, buy a ticket and make a dash for a nearby toilet.
Colitis sufferer John Cocker, 54, has blasted council parking bosses after he was slapped with a £70 fine for pulling over and taking an emergency toilet break
However, when he returned 10 minutes later he was furious to see that a parking officer had given him a fine.
Mr Cocker complained to the council, but despite informing them of his medical issues they refused to budge.
Parking officers said he had taken up too much space with his van and mower and should have paid twice and pulled across two bays.
Mr Cocker from Lower Hacheston, fumed: ‘If I had parked there without a ticket I’d have deserved it.
‘I just think they could have been far more sympathetic to me.’
He added: ‘I told them I had colitis but they didn’t seem interested.
Parking officers said he had taken up too much space with his van and mower (pictured) and should have paid twice and pulled across two bays
‘I would understand if I had blocked someone in but I parked in the corner out of the way because I had a ride-on mower on the back.
‘I even paid a couple of quid for a parking ticket.
‘The colitis can come all of a sudden and I get painful stomach cramps very quickly.
‘I thought parking there was the safest thing I could do,’ Mr Cocker told the Ipswich Star.
‘There were no signs saying this was a restricted area and the cross hatchings were washed out.
‘They said I should have parked in a double bay and bought two tickets.
Shocked John has now installed a portaloo in his van (pictured) in case he gets caught short while on the road
‘Even if I had parked over two bays, I was towing the mower and was afraid someone may have nicked it.
‘It just doesn’t seem fair – they are supposed to be a public service.’
Shocked John has now installed a portaloo in his van in case he gets caught short while on the road.
Ipswich council refused to go into detail about the parking row.
A spokesman said: ‘We do sympathise with Mr Cocker’s medical situation but he has decided not to continue with the appeals process so we cannot comment further.’