Mourners paying their last respects to a lynchpin of the farming community around Nancegollan were shocked to find their cars had been ticketed while they attended his Helston funeral.

Grieving friends and family of Blair Hocking, who died recently aged 52, saw no option but to park on grass verges ahead of his memorial service at Helston Methodist Church, after finding Tyacke Road car park was absolutely full.

But when they came out of the one hour service on Friday, estimated to have been attended by more than 500 people, they discovered a warden had been around and issued around 15 cars with fines.

Anna Benney, who parked "right up on the verge," said: "When we got there we saw cars parked everywhere and knew we wouldn't get a space [in the car park], we thought we would check anyway. We went in and around and no spaces.

"We thought we wouldn't get parked and get in on time.

Another of those ticketed, Geoffrey Williams, said: "Many of us came back to the cars at the same time and found that dozens of us had been fined. It really upset one young lady who was parked near me, which is understandable as funerals are emotional times.

Family friend Morwenna Peters added: "It just really put a downer on what was a beautiful service for Blair.

"I really think they should have had some common courtesy and discretion."

She added: "We just wanted to pay our respects."

Blair Hocking was a Nancegollan farmer who was well known for his role in the Young Farmers Club and his involvement with local agricultural shows, especially his prize winning eggs. His funeral was so well attended that the church was completely full, with some people forced to stand out in the entrance.

Several of those fined are now appealing the decision and writing to Cornwall Council to complain, as they feel they parked out of the way, without obstructing the road or the pavement and not in the line of sight of passing motorists.

They are also asking what else they could have done, as parking in Coinagehall Street, currently reduced due to work on Wetherspoons, was blocked by market stalls, the council-run car park was full, and the nearby Quarry car park is now closed.

Furthermore, they ask why visitors can park on verges on Flora Day, but not to pay their last respects to a cherished member of the community.

Geoofrey said: "We all felt very annoyed that we had been so harshly dealt with. One resident came out and said how unfair she thought the tickets were and agreed that we hadn’t caused any bother to those living in the surrounding houses."

Anna said: "I was very surprised and quite shocked that somebody would do this."

She went straight to the Cornwall Council, but said they "didn't want to know" and told her to put her complaint in writing.

She said the parking enforcement officer would have been aware of what was happening, with the amount of cars and people walking around town in black, and should have used some discretion.

In a statement, Cornwall Council said the parking officer was concerned that the vehicles were obstructing the footway used by pedestrians and also restricting the vision of motorists, and issued the penalty charge notices (PCNs) after checking with his manager.

They said where yellow lines exist they apply to the carriageway, footway and grass verges, and that enforcement officers are "required to operate in a consistent manner to avoid any accusations of bias or preferential treatment," adding that there were other car parks with spaces available on the day.

Regarding Flora Day The council said it provides "an appropriate level of enforcement" which "ensures road and pedestrian safety and access for emergency vehicles."

All discretion regarding fines lies with the council's appeals officers, and the council will consider any appeals made against the issue of penalty charges.

The statement said: "The chief executive officer has to enforce in a fair and consistent manner to anyone who may have contravened the restrictions. There have been issues with people parking in contravention here in the past and PCNs have been issued in these cases.

"We apologise for any distress caused to those attending the funeral but would have been willing to offer advice about parking if we had been contacted prior to the funeral."