A MAN who has used crutches since he was a toddler was slapped with a parking fine - then told to prove he was disabled.

Lee Fletcher suffers from a serious spinal condition and has walked with elbow crutches since he was two. Despite this, he had to go through the humiliation of convincing a wheel-clamping company that he was disabled in order to get his money back.

He lost his disabled parking badge after moving house but left his car in a disabled spot when he went to a Totton bank. On his return he was horrified to find he had been clamped and had to pay £85 on the spot to get his car released.

To get his refund he had to fax Security Inter-national proof of his disability, but three months on he is still waiting for his money.

Lee, 22, of Shraveshill Close, Calmore, said: "I told the man who clamped me that I was disabled but he said that I needed to give them proof despite having my elbow crutches with me.

"I faxed across proof of my disability benefits and they told me they would send me back my money but that was three months ago and I am still waiting."

Managing director of Southampton-based Security International, Clive Deacon, told the Daily Echo that he had looked into it and a new cheque was now being sent out.

He said: "If he parked without a disabled badge then he would have been wheel-clamped.

"The patrol officer does not have the discretion to take the decision to just unclamp the car.

"We work in a black and white world

"It is unique for a wheel-clamping company to refund the fine as most do not do that.

"Once the vehicle is wheel-clamped it is a done deal, but had he come back and shown the disabled sticker we would have released the car.

"We get a lot of cars parked in disabled bays and if he could not produce the permit then we have got a clear policy.

"He could not produce the permit and it then had to go through the system."