A MOTHER-of-two is claiming costs from Christchurch council after an adjudicator ruled that signage for a disabled parking space in Christchurch High Street is "ambiguous" and "does not comply with regulations."

A thick blue line painted by the council on the road in front of the parking bay was also held not to appear in the Department of Transport's regulations for traffic signs.

Sarah Campbell, 42, of South Road, Boscombe, was issued with a £30 fine in February when she parked her car in the bay outside the MIND charity shop.

"I had been there less than a minute," said Miss Campbell.

"I was confused by the sign so I asked the lady in the charity shop if I could park. By the time I left the shop, the traffic warden had written the ticket," she said.

After a six-month correspondence with Christchurch council, Miss Campbell's appeal was heard by the National Parking Adjudication Service at a hotel in Bournemouth on Monday.

The adjudicator ruled that the fine was invalid.

Miss Campbell gave photographs of other disabled parking signs in the town centre in her evidence to the appeal hearing. She also included images of compliant signage from the Department of Transport's website.

Deborah Gibson, the parking adjudicator, said: "The sign does not clearly convey that parking is only permitted for disabled badge holders."

"And it does not comply with the regulations," she added.

Christchurch council insists the sign is legal, but will make changes following the appeal decision.

Bob Baker, the authority's transport and highways chief, said: "We will be amending the sign to make it absolutely clear to anyone failing to see the 700mm thick blue line in future that this really does indicate that parking is only for drivers with a disabled badge between the hours of 10am and 4pm."

Mr Baker added that the thick blue line with the words "disabled parking 10am-4pm" was painted in January 2005. But photographs given in evidence by Miss Campbell showed only a pale blue line with no words.