A RELATIVE paying her final respects at the funeral of a nine-month-old baby has blasted parking attendants who placed tickets on mourners' cars.

Cherry Cross, from High Wycombe, said attendants booked cars of mourners parked on yellow lines while attending the funeral at the Snowdrop Cemetery in Benjamin Road, High Wycombe, last Tuesday.

Ms Cross, who did not receive a ticket herself, said: "I'm disgusted. It's disrespectful."

She added: "Vicar David Foster went over and spoke to the parking attendants to explain the cars belonged to the mourners.

"There was a lot of people who were grieving. I'm very angry especially for the poor mother. It's disgusting, it really is. Even the vicar couldn't believe it.

"I understand they were doing their job and there's not enough parking spaces at the cemetery, but they could have been more understanding considering the circumstances."

A spokesman for Buckinghamshire County Council said they would have done things differently if they had known of the circumstances beforehand.

She said: "If we have got people's cars parked somewhere where they shouldn't we can't possibly know the circumstances unless they tell us. When the tickets have been issued the wardens can't take them back. If people got a ticket at the cemetery in those circumstances they should write to NCP.

"People have been very quick to jump on the traffic wardens. But if we are not aware of what's happening we can only sort it out after the situation."

"We were only made aware of the situation after the event."

Yesterday Michael Lewis, father of baby Lawrence Johnson, said it was cruel to come out of a funeral to find parking tickets.

He added: "It definitely makes you feel worse.

"The wardens should have found out what was going on in the area. There should be free parking."