AN ON-CALL community nurse in Salcombe was slapped with a parking ticket on Island Street last week.

Despite the nurse clearly displaying a sign in her car, a Devon County Council spokesman said there was no exemption for parking on double yellow lines, even for nurses, but that she is entitled to appeal the ticket.

Paul Brodie, who published photographs of the story on social media after witnessing the incident, said: ‘It was explained to him that the nurse was tending to an elderly patient, but the traffic warden explained that she should’ve parked in resident parking spaces around the corner.

‘Someone ran to tell the nurse what was happening, but she couldn’t move her car - she was bandaging an elderly man’s leg at the time.’

A Devon County Council spokesman said: ‘We value and support those who provide care in our communities and we offer special parking exemptions which we promote through our website and through clinical commissioning teams.

‘This exemption allows parking without time limit or payment in limited waiting areas, residents’ parking and on-street pay and display parking areas within the County Council boundaries.

‘However, this vehicle was parked on yellow lines and the terms of the exemption are clear that it does not include areas where other restrictions apply, such as yellow lines.

‘No legal exemption exists or has ever existed which would enable us to grant complete exemption from all parking restrictions.

‘A recipient of a Penalty Charge Notice is entitled to appeal.’