A CANADIAN tourist has said he will never visit Bromsgrove again after being unfairly hit with a parking ticket.

Sixty-one-year old Bruce Mitchell is furious after being given a ticket for parking in a disabled bay, despite displaying a valid badge.

"I have been all over the world with this parking badge, which was issued by the Canadian government. I have been to North America, Mexico even Hawaii and I have never had trouble using it, apart from in Bromsgrove," he said.

The Birmingham-born man was given the parking ticket in the Recreation Road South car park while he was shopping in ASDA with his wife last Thursday.

The parking warden noted his disabled badge was out of date despite it clearly displaying validation until February 2006.

"I don't know what time scale they work to in Bromsgrove but in the rest of the world it is only May 2004, which makes my ticket valid," he said.

When Mr Mitchell challenged the parking warden he claimed he was rude and ignorant. "Does Bromsgrove not want to attract tourists? I have never been spoken to so rudely in all my life," he added.

Mr Mitchell is enjoying a two-month stay in Tardebigge in which he is looking forward to seeing his favourite band The Shadows on their final tour.

"I doubt very much that I shall ever come to Bromsgrove again and I intend to post on the internet that visitors will not be welcomed into Bromsgrove.

"If Bromsgrove council would like to sue me on this matter I will be glad to fly back from Canada and when I win I will sue them for my travel expenses and then I will sue them for discrimination against the disabled," he added.

John Moody, the district council's head of technical services, said: "I invite this gentleman to come in with the data concerned then we would be pleased to sort it out.

"If we have made a mistake we will sort it out. We are not perfect and if an apology is needed then we will give one," he added.