A mum whose son has a life-threatening heart condition was shocked after a nasty note was left on her car accusing the family of ‘pretending to be disabled’ so they could park their car.

A large scratch mark was also left on the mobility car in a shocking incident in Weymouth town centre which police are treating as a hate crime.

Samantha Dunlop, 25, from Weymouth, parked on double yellow lines near to Finn’s pub so she could visit the beach with her nine-year-old son Liam, who suffers from a heart condition.

Due to Liam’s condition – he was born with pulmonary atresia and has been in and out of hospital for most of his young life – he is entitled to a blue badge for the disabled.

Vehicles displaying blue badges are able to park on double yellow lines for up to three hours, if safe to do so.

Miss Dunlop and Liam discovered the note and the large scratch mark beneath it when they returned to their car.

The note said: “You’re not disabled, I am. You should not pretend to be disabled just so you can park your car. I have you on camera.”

Miss Dunlop said it was a ‘horrible’ note.

She said: “Liam doesn’t have a wheelchair – so people must have seen us getting out of the car and thought, he doesn’t look disabled. They put two and two together and must have thought we were lying and cheating.”

She added: “My son looks fine, but people don’t see what’s happening on the inside, unless he was to walk around with his top off. He will have to have surgery and live with his heart condition for the rest of his life.

“To have a terrible note telling us we’re not disabled, so we shouldn’t be parked there, is horrible.”

Miss Dunlop said her son had to apply for a blue badge and they went through an application process to receive a mobility car from the DVLA.

She said it wasn’t the first time the pair had been victimised.

She explained: “I’ve had people shouting at me. This is a daily occurrence for us.”

She says she will have to pay £100 to fix the damage to her car.

Dorset Police have launched an investigation to find those responsible. A police spokesman said they received a call reporting the incident at 3.37pm on Monday, August 6.

It is believed to have happened between 3pm and 3.15pm.

Sergeant Dan Galloway, of Weymouth police, said: “This incident has understandably left the victim very upset and we will not tolerate hate crimes of this nature.

“Enquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible, including a review of CCTV footage covering the area.”

Cllr Jon Orrell, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council spokesman for Social Inclusion, backed the police appeal.

He said: “It is very disappointing that a crime of this nature has taken place and my thoughts are with the victim. The mark of a civilised society is how we care for the disabled and marginalised. I urge anyone with information to contact Dorset Police so that those responsible can be held accountable for their actions.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police on 101, quoting occurrence number 55180125914.