Brent Council has staged a sudden climb down and apologised to a woman who was fined for parking in Queen’s Park after her youngest daughter suffered a stroke and her elderly mother displayed her disabled blue badge in the car.

After initially refusing to waive the £110 fine levied on Diksha Chakravarti, 58, for parking in a suspended bay in Summerfield Avenue in March, Brent Council has now apologised for its “mistake” and offered to cancel the ticket after the Times publisized the case.

Ms Chakravarti, a hypnotherapist from Reading, wrote to the chief executive of the council Christine Gilbert claiming she had not realised she had parked in a suspended bay when she brought her 85-year-old mother Kamala back to her eldest daughter’s flat in Queen’s Park at midnight after her youngest daughter Anuna, 25, had suffered a stroke.

Ms Chakravarti claims her mother’s disabled blue badge was displayed and she paid for use of the parking space via an online booking system. She was shocked to receive the £110 fine three days later.

Just hours after the Times first reported Ms Chakravarti’s appeal she received a letter from Brent Council processing manager Robert Perrin confirming the fine would be waived.

He wrote: “I have reviewed your case and taken into account the difficult circumstances you have described, it is clear to me that there was no intention on your part to park in the suspended bay.

“I believe that this is entirely understandable and I have therefore cancelled the penalty charge notice.”

Speaking after the council reversed its position, Ms Chakravarti, 58, said: “Thank God for that- I feel completely vindicated. We clearly had no intention to play the system. Humanity and compassion has finally prevailed but it’s such a shame we have had to go to these lengths. Clearly they saw the article in the Brent and Kilburn Times and saw how clear-cut our case was.”

A spokesman for Brent Council said: “The council made a mistake here which, after reviewing all the circumstances of the case again, we were happy to put right.”

“We apologise for the way in which this case has been handled and are pleased to have resolved this situation in a way which all parties are happy with.”