Parking Charge Notice from Britannia

ryanlike

Hi everyone,

I have received a 'Final Reminder' from Britannia Parking, from a car park in Newcastle. I parked there on 14th April, and have just received this letter, dated 12th May. Despite claiming it is a final reminder, and in the body of the letter they claim they have written to me previously, it is the first letter I have received from them! It is also for the very unreasonable amount of £100! I'm not entirely sure how long I was parked there for, as it doesn't state on the letter, but I don't think it could have been more than 2 hours.

My main concern is that I did not actually pay to park there. When I pulled into the car park (with full expectation to pay), the ticket machines, which were the type at the side of the road, at car window level where you press a button for a card, were all covered in black bags, so assumed that they were out of order. I then saw another person leaving and asked them if they paid. They stated that they did not, as they presumed it must be free, maybe due to the fact that it was Good Friday.

So naturally, I parked up, enjoyed a meal at a local restaurant, and thought nothing of it. Except, that my dad stated it might be a good idea to take photos of the machines covered up as evidence, which I did.

Since receiving this letter I have looked back at the photos a bit more closely, and have noticed that there appears to actually be a machine in a dark corner that I may have been supposed to pay at... Hindsight at it's best! Obviously I didn't notice this machine at the time, otherwise I would have paid!

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I'm a little unsure how to proceed, as I have (unintentionally) parked without paying, and am naturally concerned that I don't really have a leg to stand on if this goes any further; or eventually, to court.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Ryan.

Redx

just read and follow the advice in the NEWBIES sticky thread near the top of this forum

ryanlike

Thanks for the reply. I have read through it, but am struggling to see any of it that would apply to me. Am I supposed to just use the template regarding the signage etc.? I don't know that the lettering on the signs was too small!

Is it just a one size fits all to get to the POPLA stage?

Thanks again!

Redx

ryanlike wrote: »

Is it just a one size fits all to get to the POPLA stage?

Thanks again!

yes

and signage has to conform to the CoP issued by their trade body, so thats how you tell

and for all you know they may not have a landowner contract, or it may have expired

and if their paperwork fails POFA2012, then the keeper isnt liable for the charge

waamo

Do you know the lettering is big enough?

The templates are there for a reason. The reason being the work.

Coupon-mad

Search the forum for 'Britannia' and have a chuckle at them! The NEWBIES appeal is one size fits all and is written the way it is for a reason.