Blue badge holder Jack Howling (71), of Lynn, went to the resort for a late afternoon visit on Saturday with his wife, Valerie (67), and sister-in-law Margaret Ford, (65), who are also disabled.

He parked in a disabled bay in the South Promenade car park at about 3pm and said he was surprised how easy it was to find a space so close to the seafront. "I have never seen Hunstanton car parks so quiet."

Unaware of new regulations requiring blue badge holders to pay for parking, he did not buy a ticket. The group went onto the promenade and tucked into some seaside snacks before returning to the car park shortly after 4pm to find a penalty notice issued.

Mr Howling said he had planned to leave his wife and sister-in-law in the car while he went cockling for a while.

"Sadly, we were so depressed after finding the ticket, we called it a day. It's just a way of getting more money out of you. It's just another racket," he hit out.

After a weekend of worry, Mr Howling, of Westfields, Fairstead, went to West Norfolk Council on Monday to appeal against the penalty. He was told leniency was being shown and he would not have to pay.

But future occasional visits to Hunstanton now seem unlikely. "We won't be going again. Everything is being taken away from us," he added.