HOLIDAYS are supposed to be a time for relaxation but for one woman who suffers from cerebral palsy, her four week vacation has led to almost two years of constant fear.

In March last year, Karen Rouault, of Bannister Close, Greenford, was busy enjoying four weeks in the sun as she holidayed in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Now, more than 18 months after she returned home with a healthy glow, she says she lives in constant fear that bailiffs could arrive at her home at any minute to take away £277 worth of her belongings to pay for a parking fine she never incurred.

While enjoying a few weeks away with her carer, a friend who had been house sitting decided to take Karen’s car out for a spin without permission and was issued with a PCN for driving in a bus lane along Northolt Road, in South Harrow, on March 7, 2014.

Ms Rouault said: “She was just supposed to pick me up at the airport, not use my car. Just pick me up and bring me home.

“She must have opened the post and took the original ticket because the first I knew about it was the second letter, but she promised to pay.

“I had a very good time on holiday until I came back to this.”

The friend confessed to the fine, along with several others in Ealing and Hillingdon, after Karen began receiving follow-up letter and promised to pay for each ticket in full.

But just weeks later her now “ex-friend” is refusing to open her purse and is no longer responding to messages or emails.

Ms Rouault appealed all the fines, informing each council that she was on holiday at the time they were incurred, and has also reported the incident to the police.

Since then, all fines against her vehicle have been dropped – except for the one fine from Harrow Council.

Despite launching an appeal, Karen started to get more and more letters from the council demanding payment before later receiving texts, calls and letters from debt collection agency Newlyns who were threatening to seize her belongings.

She said: “I have been very stressed that [my friend] would do this.

“I sent her an email last week to tell her that I have got to pay these fines and to ask her to give me the money. No reply.

“Harrow Council don’t listen – they don’t even talk to the police. They have not really done anything to help.

“It is making me very stressed and upset.”

She added that so far, she has received a number of messages from the debt collection agency but fears that bailiffs could force their way into her home at any time.

With the help of her carer, she has filed another ‘out of time’ appeal with the council which has extended the payment date to October 12 but says she will not pay a fine for something she has not done.

She added: “It’s just the letters, no one has come round so far but I’m very worried.

“They [Harrow council] aren’t listening to me.”

A Harrow Council spokesperson said: “We have now reviewed Ms Rouault’s case and we have cancelled the PCN. 

"From the information she has submitted we can see that she was not driving her car at the time of the offence. 

"We appreciate the distress this issue has caused and we hope that this matter is now resolved to Ms Rouault's satisfaction.”