A SCROOGE-like traffic warden issued an elderly woman with a parking ticket after she pulled up outside a charity shop to donate clothing.

Kind-hearted Frances Hollands, who lives in St Osyth, planned on doing a good deed in the run up to Christmas by donating two large bags to the Salvation Army at Jackson Road, Clacton.

She parked outside the shop and left her hazard lights on as she intended on leaving her vehicle for just a few minutes as she dropped off the donation.

However, in the couple of minutes while she was dropping off the clothes, a traffic warden stepped in and issued her with a penalty charge notice.

Mrs Hollands, in her seventies, said she normally gets the bus into town but decided to drive to the charity shop because the bags were too heavy to carry with her on public transport.

She said: “I indicated and parked outside of the shop and left my hazard lights on as I knew I would only be about five minutes in total.

“As I was handing over the large bags of clothes, the customers in the shop told me that a traffic warden was putting a ticket on my car.

“I hurried over as he was placing a ticket on my car and told him that it wasn’t fair and that I’d only been left my car for a few minutes.

“The manager came out with me and reiterated what I had said but he refused to listen.”

Mrs Hollands has now appealed to North Essex Parking Partnership for them to show some Christmas spirit and has asked them to rescind the £70 fine.

A North Essex Parking Partnership spokesman said: “A penalty charge notice was issued in this case because the vehicle was parked in a No Loading at any time restriction.

“If a motorist believes a penalty charge notice has been issued incorrectly, they can challenge it by submitting a written appeal, which allows the particular circumstances of the case to be considered by the partnership.

“A reply noting the outcome of any challenge will be sent to the motorist.”

Mrs Hollands added:“I’m really upset that I might have to pay an expensive fine right before Christmas and I want to warn other people who want to help charities around the festive period.”