Parking stories in the News/media

kryten3000

File on 4 Investigates - The IT bug that's caused chaos in the courts

Broadcast 11th November, this Radio 4 programme looks into the issues with the civil court systems. 
BBC Account required to listen.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002m04j

ETA: There's nothing parking specific in the programme but we've all seen the letters asking for documents to be sent to the courts.

Ralph-y

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czdrejj1nlro

Lidl 'sorry' for poppy sellers' parking tickets

At least eight Royal British Legion (RBL) volunteers were given the penalty charge notices (PCNs) between 27 October and 9 November despite having registered their cars with Lidl in North Hykeham.

She said: "As far as we knew, the licence numbers had been taken and there was no problem parking for four hours.

"But near the end of the week, I got this charge through the post for £90. I was knocked sideways, I wasn't expecting that.

Parkingeye said it operated an "audited appeals process" which it described as "simple and accessible".

A spokesperson said: "We encourage motorists to engage with the appeals process to provide any background and evidence on why they broke the rules of the car park.

"It is only during engagement with the appeals process that personal and mitigating circumstances can be brought to light and fairness and understanding shown."

ParkingLie 

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Coupon-mad

Ralph-y said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czdrejj1nlro

Lidl 'sorry' for poppy sellers' parking tickets

At least eight Royal British Legion (RBL) volunteers were given the penalty charge notices (PCNs) between 27 October and 9 November despite having registered their cars with Lidl in North Hykeham.

She said: "As far as we knew, the licence numbers had been taken and there was no problem parking for four hours.

"But near the end of the week, I got this charge through the post for £90. I was knocked sideways, I wasn't expecting that.

Parkingeye said it operated an "audited appeals process" which it described as "simple and accessible".

A spokesperson said: "We encourage motorists to engage with the appeals process to provide any background and evidence on why they broke the rules of the car park.

"It is only during engagement with the appeals process that personal and mitigating circumstances can be brought to light and fairness and understanding shown."

ParkingLie 

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

#Private parking ANPR - killing the high street, ruining proper businesses and picking the pockets of charity workers and donors.

The BPA must be so proud.

Coupon-mad

Chesterfield woman slams “exploitative and dysfunctional parking system" at Chesterfield Royal Hospital

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/chesterfield-woman-slams-exploitative-and-dysfunctional-parking-system-at-chesterfield-royal-hospital-5399359

Roxanne described how on June 7 her husband drove her to A&E after she banged her head during a fall. She said: “We drove through the barrier and it said ‘fee paid’ even though we hadn’t actually paid. 

"So we drove to the front entrance of the hospital to the pay machine thinking something wasn’t right. But when I put our number plate in it said ‘fee paid’ so I took a photo.

“I had a major head trauma and had been in hospital for nine hours and we were exhausted, trying to leave and then deal with that – but there’s no-one to speak to."

A PCN then arrived...attempts to appeal the charge were frustrated by inaccessible contact details and a process which was designed to “frustrate rather than resolve”, and she ultimately paid the fine to avoid further distress.

Roxanne raised the issue with Louise Sandher-Jones – asking that the MP escalate the issue to Trading Standards, NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and the British Parking Association.

As well as the local rag. GOOD FOR HER!

"After being contacted by the newspaper, a spokesman for the parking operator Group Nexus said the fine was issued by mistake after Roxanne’s number plate had been “misread” due to a black fixing bolt positioned over the lower curve of the letter C, making it appear as a G – adding that a full refund would be issued."

Hmmmm...

So GN were happy to make the equivalent of a 'keying' (ANPR VRM misread) error - no human checks - and pocket her money and only checked and fessed up when the newspaper exposed the issue.

#ANPR in the hands of private parking firms - no human checks of data - ripping off hospital patients and ruining businesses at a high street near you

Nellymoser

Sheffield City Council continues to crackdown on rogue parking firms flouting the law. 

It's NCP lack of planning permission in the spotlight this time though the article does refer to the action the Council has so far taken against Bank Park for their lack of planning permission.

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics/sheffield-parking-ncp-pulls-out-of-illegal-car-park-in-crackdown-by-city-council-5393070

Transport, regeneration and climate policy committee chair, said:

“It is not acceptable that car parking companies use land within Sheffield to set up their illegal car parking, cheating motorists into thinking they are leaving their vehicles in places where all the proper checks have been adhered to.

“As a council, we are not against there being car parks in the city but they must go through the proper channels, including obtaining planning permission, before they are opened to the public.

“I am determined to rid Sheffield of these illegal car parks and I’m delighted to see that the one on Fitzwilliam Street has taken note of its enforcement notice and closed down.”

"That one" was NCP, who may also be operating another car park without planning permission. The council are investigating that allegation. 

The Star had previously reported that Bank Park was found to be operating three car parks in Sheffield without planning permission. An enforcement order was served by the Council, Bank Park have now appealed to the Planning Inspectorate.

https://www.thestar.co.uk/business/sheffield-parking-bank-park-fights-order-to-close-unauthorised-car-park-5388422

While it's good to see two Parking firms get a dose of their own medicine the fact remains both took money from motorists for parking tariffs and pcns while knowingly operating car parks illegally.

Refunds on the cards ???

1505grandad

"While it's good to see two Parking firms get a dose of their own medicine the fact remains both took money from motorists for parking tariffs and pcns while knowingly operating car parks illegally."

And of course the DVLA have no problem selling motorists private data willy-nilly.

Per KADOE:-

"A6. Compliance with the Law and Industry Best Practice A6.1. The Customer shall at all times comply with Law and Industry Best Practice in carrying out its obligations under the Contract."

Thorndorise

1505grandad said:

"While it's good to see two Parking firms get a dose of their own medicine the fact remains both took money from motorists for parking tariffs and pcns while knowingly operating car parks illegally."

And of course the DVLA have no problem selling motorists private data willy-nilly.

Per KADOE:-

"A6. Compliance with the Law and Industry Best Practice A6.1. The Customer shall at all times comply with Law and Industry Best Practice in carrying out its obligations under the Contract."

And as you are alluding to, will the DVLA boot them off the KADOE list? oh no, of course not, tidy little profit administrative cost

Le_Kirk

Nellymoser said:

Refunds on the cards ???

Of course ............ NOT

Nellymoser

As soon as the ANPR cameras were turned on at the May Tree car park in Helston dining guests were wrongly issued £100 pcns. 

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/technical-fault-clears-diners-helston-050000169.html

They complained, shared their outrage and disbelief on social media. 

Whitbread offered a full apology for any "frustration and inconvenience" said pcns will be cancelled and any paid refunded.

They went on to explain:

"While signage was installed in May 2025, the camera system was only activated in early October.

"Unfortunately, due to a technical fault in the system’s timestamp, several incorrect PCNs were issued during this time.”  (1st Oct - 11th Nov 2025)

WOW...what idiots didn't check their system's timestamp before 'going live'. Whitbread doesn't disclose the parking management 'experts' they employed. Though it appears ParkMaven are the guilty one.

Going forward, the company is urging all May Tree guests to ensure their vehicle is validated at the hotel or restaurant to avoid any future issues.

Well I doubt that will make returning diners/guests feel confident, the PPC caused the issue NOT the motorists registering their vehicle.

Coupon-mad

Another day, another time limit at a multi-store retail park is reduced by a PPC because they weren't catching enough victims:

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/why-can-t-they-just-make-it-pay-and-display-anger-over-332460/

"Euro Car Parks, which manages the site, reduced the limit from three hours to two in January. At one point, it had been four.

The change proved controversial with many shoppers feeling it did not provide sufficient time to peruse the big brand names located there, including TK Maxx, Hobbycraft, The Range and Asda Living.

A pensioner who shopped with a disabled passenger said: "two hours is not long enough for four big retail stores. Why make it free if it's only going to be two hours? Three hours is probably reasonable, but if you're going to knock it down to two hours, I would prefer to have done pay and display."

After taking her plight to social media, a retail worker from one of the shops at the site was able to help the pensioner..."

...other users were quick to point out that one of the 15 signs located in the large parking area still says “Maximum stay three hours”.

How the heck do the property agents fall for these time limit reductions? Are they stupid How do PPCs get away with this crap so often?

#ANPR in the hands of private parking firms: ruining retail businesses and ripping off shoppers at a high street near you.

The BPA must be so proud.