A distressed widow has hit out after mourners at her husband's funeral were given parking tickets by a warden who knew the service was taking place.

Hampton Wick pensioner Doreen Randall, of Park Road, said friends and relatives who turned up to pay tribute to her husband were issued with penalty charge notices by the warden, a situation she described as "very upsetting".

David Lund, vicar at St John the Baptist and St Mark's Church in Teddington, backed up Mrs Randall and said he knew of at least one person who was ticketed incorrectly.

Mrs Randall held a funeral service for her husband at St John the Baptist Church, in Church Grove, Hampton Wick, on April 16 and about 60 grieving friends and family turned up to pay their last respects.

She said that traffic wardens, working for NCP on behalf of Richmond upon Thames Council, were waiting outside the church, making a note of number plates of those attending and issuing tickets to some mourners.

"I didn't only have the funeral to deal with, the following day I would have been married 53 years. For that to happen is not on."

Reverend Lund explained he had seen the warden paying close attention to those arriving for the funeral.

"The funeral cortege arrived quite early and I was stood outside for eight or nine minutes and could see what was going on," he said.

"The traffic warden was across the road, he watched people going into the church and made a note of their number plates. He did it all the time."

Reverend Lund said a mourner offered him a lift after the service and he saw they had been given a penalty notice despite parking in a legal bay and having a valid ticket.

He said Mrs Randall told him a number of parking tickets were issued by the warden.

"I couldn't believe what I saw," he said. "It was disgusting.

"They came to say goodbye and the warden watched them and for a public servant to penalise them for doing that is beyond belief.

"I have never known anything like this. I have served in Liverpool, Manchester and Wigan, and they are not known for having kind parking attendants, but I have never seen this."

Richmond upon Thames Council said as far as it knew only one ticket which was issued on the day relating to the funeral and said an appeal against it was ongoing.

A Richmond council spokesman said: "We have only been able to identify one penalty charge notice issued that morning that was related to the funeral.

"An appeal against this, outlining the circumstances, has been received by us and is being considered by the appeal officer.

"Until the outcome of this process we can't comment any further."