Members of a disabled club are furious at being handed tickets for parking "incorrectly" in a free council car park after it was targeted by over-zealous inspectors.

Inspectors from Herefordshire Council have been dishing out £60 fines at Ledbury's swimming pool car park to drivers who haven't parked between the lines in the designated parking bays.

Maureen Jones, of Birch Close, who is asthmatic and attends the cardiology unit at Hereford General Hospital, came out of a medically-supervised "Lift" session at the swimming pool gym to find she had been given a ticket.

"Herefordshire Council didn't let me off - no way. I got a standard letter," she said.

The parking bay lines were recently repainted by the council and Mrs Jones claims that although she parked where she had many times before, the new lines do not follow the earlier markings in places.

She said the £30 fee - paid early to avoid the full £60 charge - was unnecessary.

"I was not obstructing anyone. This fine equals exactly half my pension. There are many people in Ledbury who feel this is a honey pot for traffic wardens to collect extra income for the council."

Fellow Lift pensioner Mary Dawes emerged from a supervised gym session to strengthen a leg weakened by childhood polio to find she had also received a ticket.

"It's disgusting. I've parked there for three years without a problem. Why didn't we get a warning notice on the windscreen?" she said.

Although a sign at the entrance to the car park warns of penalties for incorrect parking, both women feel the sign is easily missed and could be better placed.

"I can't see any point in a warden being too zealous on a free car park, and slapping tickets on all and sundry," said Barry Ashton, one of Ledbury's two members on Herefordshire Council.

Mick Morris, Herefordshire Council's parking manager, defended the new markings and fines.

"Previously, we received numerous complaints from the swimming pool, Ledbury Town Council and members of the public who found themselves blocked in due to careless parking," he said.

"We changed very little - the markings are 95 per cent the same as before.

"However, we need to make sure people don't park over the white lines to ensure the car park does not become clogged."