A PARKING ticket issued to a community bus driver as he waited for an elderly woman to be freed from her flood-hit home will not be withdrawn, says City of York Council.

During last week’s flooding in the Skeldergate area, 87-year-old Mildred Baker and other residents of the City Mills flats had to be rescued using a temporary bridge across the rising waters.

However, as the walkway was being finished, the driver of a Dial & Ride bus, who had come to escort Mrs Baker to the vehicle, found himself slapped with a £70 parking fine after leaving the vehicle on double yellow lines in nearby Cromwell Road.

Mrs Baker said: “It upset me and it upset him because he was a new driver. I would hope that the council would let him off.

“I use the bus three times a week because I can’t walk on my own so it’s my only way to get out. It’s diabolical,” she said.

The bus was being operated by York Wheels, an organisation which provides transport for elderly residents who would otherwise find it difficult to leave home.

Geoff Mayne, the organisation’s transport co-ordinator, said he had written to the council and hoped it would reconsider the fine, which will be reduced from £70 to £35 if paid within 14 days.

He pointed out that the driver of the bus had been in the vicinity at the time and said the parking attendant could have shown a more “positive attitude”.

However, a spokeswoman for City of York Council, said: “While we appreciate the service provided by Dial & Ride, the vehicle was parked in a way that caused severe inconvenience to other road users.

“The vehicle was observed for eight minutes before the penalty charge notice was issued and during this time the civil enforcement officer received a number of complaints from members of the public about the vehicle.”