A MOTHER who can barely walk two minutes without her legs seizing up as been told she is not “disabled enough” to claim a parking badge.

Waheeda Ismail, of Watford Way, Mill Hill, was first given a blue badge in 1999 after a slipped disc operation left her with nerve damage.

But when the 52-year-old tried to renew her application, she was stunned to be told she was no longer eligible to claim.

While she is able to drive, she is too afraid to leave the house by herself in case she does not find a parking space.

She now relies on her husband, Assis, a bank manager, to take her everywhere.

She said: “It worries me – I can’t get out of the house even for the small things because I’m in agony when I try and walk long distances.

“I’ve lost my independence. I can’t even go to buy bread or milk by myself. I’m housebound now, a prisoner.

“I don’t have this badge because it’s fun, or because it’s convenient, I have it because I really, really need it.”

The mother-of-three initially tried to make do without her badge, but the extra walking took its toll on her health and she has now been left worse off.

It caused her to have a number of falls over the last few months, and she has developed a condition which makes her leg go numb.

Now, she has been forced to reduce her hours at her job as a medical administrator in Burnt Oak – where she still feel comfortable driving to because she is guaranteed a parking space.

Mrs Ismail, who also has sciatica, takes a cocktail of drugs to calm her symptoms but is still left in pain.

She says her doctor was stunned when she her application to renew the disabled badge was rejected.

She added: “It’s frustrating that I have been put in this situation. It makes me miserable and depressed.

“I am angry towards the council – I’ve never claimed benefits because there are people who need it more than me – and this is how I’m repaid?

“They tell me I can’t have a badge because I can breathe normally. I won’t lie.

“The council also don’t understand that some days are worse than others and I can be struck down with an attack at any time.

“It’s a ridiculous situation, it’s just not fair.”

The Times Series has requested comment from Barnet Council.