A MAN who appealed against a parking fine was left completely gobsmacked after being called a “bloody retard” by a clamping firm.

Andrew Foxcroft, 34, was visiting family in south Essex when he was clamped in Nelson Mews, Southend, by LBS Enforcement.

He e-mailed the company to dispute his £500 fine and said if he wasn’t reimbursed he would take the case to county court.

In an amazing response, seen by the Echo, LBS told him: “Go for it mate.

“You must be blind if you can’t see the signs. In which case you should not be driving a car at all.

“This is someone’s parking bay you bloody retard.”

Mr Foxcroft told the Echo: “I thought ‘Well, that’s not particularly good customer relations’.

“When my wife saw it she was rather fuming and upset.

“I just thought ‘how can they get away with saying something like that?’ “A couple of days later, we got a more official response via e-mail to say the dispute had not been accepted.”

Mr Foxcroft, from West Yorkshire, and his family, had decided to go out for the day in Southend on Bank Holiday Sunday, August 29.

They parked in Nelson Mews, behind the Echo offices, and on returning found the car was gone. Mr Foxcroft then had to pay LBS enforcement £498.50 to get his car back.

Mr Foxcroft said there were no signs displayed to warn him clampers were operating in the area.

He said: “Fair enough, I was parked on there, but it is not clearly marked. That would fool anybody. If there had been a sign I wouldn’t have parked there.

“It was a bit of a shock to see the car wasn’t there.

“I thought ‘how am I going to get my family back home?’ I forwarded it on to the local council, but staff said because it is private land there’s nothing they can do.”