A driver with a fractured spine pulled over at Bristol Airport after her back went into spasm - and was duly hit in the pocket.

Lisa Tweedie, a doctor from Malmesbury, was fined after driving her friend to the airport in December.

At the time, Dr Tweedie, who suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndromes which reduces her mobility, was unaware she fractured her spine when she fell a week earlier.

When her back went into spasm at the airport she feared it was not safe to continue driving and was forced to pull over on double red lines outside the Hampton by Hilton hotel.

The 55-year-old says she was photographed by parking officers as she retrieved pain relief from her car, before being invited into the hotel car park by an employee.

She was handed a £100 fine and is outraged by the lack of empathy she has received.

She said: “It’s quite upsetting because it’s not a small amount of money and I’m still in pain from the broken back, so to not have that taken seriously feels really cold and unacceptable.

“Companies are supposed to provide adaptations for disabled people, and they haven’t done that at all… they’ve got to know that’s wrong.

“It was really dangerous for me to carry on driving because I was in pain, my duty of care was to stop.”

After the incident Dr Tweedie was diagnosed with a fractured spine after her GP initially told her she had fractured ribs.

Wiltshire Council has given her a blue badge as a result.

Dr Tweedie appealed the decision to Vehicle Control Services Limited, which manages parking charges for the airport, but was unsuccessful.

They claimed they were “unable to accept the mitigating circumstances”, claiming Dr Tweedie should have called a displayed helpline for motorists, and were “satisfied that the charge notice was correctly issued.”

She then took the case to the Independent Appeals Service, who ruled that, while they had “sympathy” for her situation, the charge was legal and only the operator could cancel it based on extenuating circumstances.

Bristol Airport, which received a complaint from Dr Tweedie last week, insists the rules are clearly signposted and are in place to keep customers safe.

A spokesperson said: “Bristol Airport only received the customer’s complaint in the last couple of days.

“The complaint will be fully investigated which includes reviewing CCTV footage. We will be in contact with the customer directly with an update on the outcome of investigation once completed.”

They added free waiting zones and car parks are available.