A DISABLED man’s “two years of hell” are over after a car park company dropped the case against him - just days before he was due in court.

Peter Davies was slapped with a ticket in March 2015 by Excel Parking Services Limited which claimed his blue badge was not on display during a trip to Cineworld, in Middlesbrough.

The paraplegic grandfather believed the badge fell out of sight in his marked mobility car and appealed the fine.

Despite the backing of Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson and continued efforts to dispute the matter, the parking company’s position remained and he was issued with a court summons.

However, ahead of his appearance on January 30 a company representative called the 58-year-old to offer an out of court settlement before dropping the matter entirely.

“Until two weeks ago I hadn’t heard from them and then they phoned up and asked if I wanted to settle out of court and I said no because I haven’t done anything wrong,” said Mr Davies. “The day after (January 9) I got a phone call from a solicitor asking me again to settle out of court, and that they’d accept £170.

“I said I would go the whole way as I’ve gone this far. About half an hour later they rang again and said they had been discussing the case with their client and had decided to drop the case.”

Mr Davies, who is paralysed from the waist down as a result of a motorbike accident in 2004, said although he was relieved he was annoyed by the way the matter was handled.

“I was rather shocked because I was expecting to go to court and lose,” he added. “I was still going to court because I felt I was wronged. It’s caused a lot of stress and worry.”

A representative for the company said: “The terms and conditions for use of disabled spaces situated at the Middlesbrough Leisure Park is clearly set out on the contractual signage, which include the statement ‘A valid disabled badge must be displayed in the front windscreen of the vehicle with the details clearly visible’.

“Mr Davies failed to display his blue badge, as is fully supported by the photographic evidence taken at the time of the event. The photos also show that Mr Davies’s disabled badge was not located on the front seat as claimed.

“With the evidence we hold, we maintain that the Parking Charge Notice was issued correctly. However, after a final review of Mr Davies appeal, a pragmatic approach was adopted on this matter and it was agreed that the Parking Charge Notice would be rescinded without the need for further civil proceedings.”