AN ELDERLY driver has expressed his outrage at a letter he received from the council after he complained about a 'discriminatory' payment system in a busy car park.

Percy Graham, 83, is severely deaf and is unable to use the telephone payment system for Grove Park car park in Wanstead, which is the only way motorists can pay for parking if the ticket machine is out of order.

He wrote to Redbridge Council's Highways and Engineering Services in March to complain about the system, which he described as “ill-judged, inappropriate, and unnecessary”.

Mr Graham, of Clavering Road in Wanstead, said: “In my email I complained that I was severely deaf, and could not use a phone for audio purposes, and that – no doubt inadvertently – the scheme was discriminating against me, and against others who were similarly afflicted.

“I pointed out that the single ticket machine in Grove Park car park had proved itself to be totally unreliable over several years, and that the frequent and prolonged periods that it was 'out of order' must have deprived the council of many hundreds of pounds.”

In his letter, Mr Graham suggested replacing the ticket machine with an updated model, installing a second machine, and introducing card payments at the machine itself.

The pensioner also feels that a public phone should be provided next to the machine as he feels it is unreasonable to expect people to pay for a call to buy parking time.

The council department replied to Mr Graham's email, and said that he could park elsewhere in Wanstead if the machine is out of order – a suggestion he described as “totally unreasonable and discriminatory”.

They also suggested paying for parking at home before travelling to the car park, which Mr Graham said was “quite unworkable”, as well as saying he could simply turn the volume up on his hearing aid.

Mr Graham said: “I am 83 years of age and have been coping with increasing deafness for about 20 years. During this time I have been fitted with a succession of hearing aids and their accessories.

“This being so, I find the comment from Redbridge that I should increase the volume of my hearing aids, or employ a loop system, as being close to offensive.

“They must think I am some kind of idiot.”

Earlier this month the Guardian reported that a number of people had fallen foul of the telephone system and been fined for not paying for parking.

Some motorists claiming the council had failed to install sufficiently clear signage and that the council should just fix the machine once it went down.

Another motorist who criticised the phone payment system is former Wanstead resident Helen Lowe, 30, who travels to the area from her home in Peckham and uses the car park several times a month.

She said: "The idea of using a credit card at the machine seems like a good idea, because people have probably always got money on their cards.

"I don't know how anyone could pay for it using their home phone before they leave because you don't know you're going to be parking there, because it could be full or something."

Another regular users of the car park, Dolly Charna, 45, of Mount Pleasant Road in Chigwell, said: "Being able to use your credit card is a really good idea, it would just be so much more sensible."

A Redbridge Council spokeswoman said: "In our contact with Mr Graham, it was our intention to be helpful not to cause offence and we apologise if any offence was taken.

"We apologise for any occasional inconvenience caused to our customers who prefer to use the traditional Pay and Display facilities but find the machine unavailable.

"The cashless parking facility is being introduced in many authorities throughout the country and is now a recognised method used by Councils as an alternative way to pay for parking, indeed some Councils only offer this payment method.

"The Council will continue to regularly inspect the Pay and Display machine in this car park and respond to reported defects without delay.

"We have taken on board the concerns of local people and a new Pay and Display machine is scheduled to be installed within the next three months.

"The majority of the restrictions outside the shops in Wanstead High Street operate for one hour between 9.30am to 10.30am Monday to Friday but drivers can park on street for free outside these times."