Parking stories in the News/media

Car1980

Good result, but no idea what the mediation and winning at the IAS references are on about. And it's spelt judgment.

Jenni_D

Judgement is a valid spelling, and in fact is the default British English spelling (except when related to the legal process). So whilst you are technically correct, for a media article that Joe Public will read, they'll largely neither know nor care. (And their spell checker won't have flagged any error).

Car1980

Judgement is not a valid spelling within the British legal system and you'll find proper journalists know this. That's why you'd never see the incorrect spelling in The Guardian or The Telegraph.

patient_dream

Nellymoser said:

A Blackburn man has won a court judgement against a parking company which threatened to fine him £100 for parking slightly outside a bay.

“I went to mediation but nobody from the company turned up nor did they attend court.”

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/25666212.driver-takes-parking-firm-raking-extortionate-fines/

The judgement at Burnley Crown Court dated 21 November ordered the claim to be dismissed.

ES Parking Enforcement was told to pay Imran Khaliq £35 and witness expenses of £107.90 by November 25.

Imran had been waiting for the payment he said: “Nothing came through at first and then this week, after I e-mailed again, payment was made.

All the car parks I see are so outdated when it comes to spaces, they are too small with so many huge SUV's filling a space, one cannot open the door.
Hence  drivers have to park over the lines

This is very poor management and because the parking companies are SUPPOSE to manage the car park,  WHICH THEY DON'T

This is also a BPA / IPC problem but both do not care. 

It is very clear that the Parking Companies run the BPA and the not fit for purpose IPC

Meaning the CEO's of both are simply puppet CEO's WHO HAVE LOST CONTROL and allow EXTRORION from their rogue traders

Thorndorise

'Carspreading' in the news again https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy7vdvl2531o

reminded me of this old gem from IPC citing a Landor links survey, they forgot to tell people that it related to on street parking and misled folk (surprise)..

 Suitably updated by someone else...

Coupon-mad

Kent Online on Euro Car Parks' case again, this time exposing 'double dip' ANPR errors:

Shoppers receive £100 fines from Euro Car Parks at Neats Court, Sheppey where Iceland, B&M, Poundland, Sports Direct and Snap Fitness are based

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sheerness/news/my-ring-doorbell-proved-i-shouldn-t-pay-100-fine-333353/

"Drivers are having to find CCTV to prove they have been incorrectly fined for overstaying in a shopping complex car park. Having visited the outlet on consecutive days, the cameras had not detected the fact they had driven away after their first trip.

Cliff Conebar's wife had her Ford Fiesta captured by cameras as entering the car park on November 4, just before 9.30am.

However, it incorrectly said she left the next day, just after 3.45pm - a stay of 30 hours and 20 minutes.

They immediately appealed but now have new CCTV evidence from Squids Gate Farm equestrian centre where his wife had been, rather than at Neats Court. Mr Conebar says he cannot submit the new evidence as there is no way of sending it to Euro Car Parks.

He said: "My wife is stressed out now. She is thinking, ‘What happens if I come again? Am I going to get another £100 fine just because I go shopping?"

Yep. That's how the ANPR scam works, Cliff.

#ANPR in the hands of private parking firms: ruining a retail park & high street near you.

The BPA must be so proud!

Coupon-mad

A badly written piece about the drop-off fee at Heathrow Airport that reads at the supposed conclusion as if a young teenager wrote it:

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/368461/final-call-heathrow-airport-limits-drop-parking-time-prices-soar

Far far more important than the fee increasing from £6 to £7 is the increased risk of an £80 PCN due to the tight new time limit (10 mins), which we know from other articles isn't long enough when there are long queues.

#ANPR in the hands of private parking firms: ripping off and ruining life for innocent people dropping off holidaymakers.

The BPA must be so proud!

Coupon-mad

Isle of Wight ferry terminal fine as parking signs conflict

https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/25669639.red-funnel-isle-wight-ferry-terminal-fine-parking-signs-conflict/

"Red Funnel has said it will look at removing 'conflicting' signage at its Isle of Wight car ferry terminal after a driver parked in a space that usually allows for 30 minutes for free. An Isle of Wight Council sign indicates that this rule, which has been in place for many years, applies between 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

But John who parked there 'well outside' the restriction time, said he received a £100 PCN from Britannia Parking.

John said that there has been no publicity indicating changes to parking in the spaces, "which would be sensible as it has been public parking for many years."

A Red Funnel spokesperson said that the Britannia sign is in fact the correct one, meaning there is no longer 30 minutes free parking in the spaces.

After being approached by the County Press, Red Funnel confirmed it would look at revoking John's parking fine. They said they are going to speak to the council about removing the 'no return within 30 minutes' sign.

The Isle of Wight Council was contacted for comment, but had not replied by the time of publication."

Private parking firms: often operating a 'concealed pitfall or trap' scam. Is this even private land? How can it be private land if there's a Traffic Order there?!

But hey never mind, eh Britannia? ...stick the signs up - beside signed public highway - and only react to issues if there's any 'noise'.

Just as a ParkingEye ex-employee whistleblower exposed:

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2016/12/parkingeye-employee-reveals-their-rape.html?m=1

"The Prankster has been contacted by a ParkingEye employee who felt it necessary to speak out because they felt that the company was run by some of the greediest people they had the misfortune to meet, and some of the practices just screamed abuse. Sadly ParkingEye are typical of the parking industry.

ParkingEye's early success was due to its gung ho approach. Contracts while making business sense only sought to delay proceedings so the tactic was to bang the kit in and deal with the ramifications later on.

One thing to note that may be of interest to motorists is that in the majority of sites, there is no planning permission. ParkingEye operate a model of retrospective planning. So get the go ahead from the client, bang the system in and then if there was any noise file a retrospective planning order. The point was to save on costs. And it worked."

And the 'gung-ho approach' clearly still works very well for them:

https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2025/12/fulwood-booths-car-park-has-been-issuing-fines-for-seven-years-without-permission/amp/

And so it continues: the industry's conduct has got far worse since the joke 'Joint Code of Practice' in 2024.

The BPA must be so proud.

Coupon-mad

Long queues at barriers after cashless ANPR parking system brought in at St James Retail and Leisure Park in Dover

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/new-cashless-parking-is-causing-queues-and-its-not-even-333210/

"Customers have been left exasperated by long queues after automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) was introduced at a shopping centre car park.

Drivers complained of a line of vehicles stretching back around the corner from the entrance of St James Retail and Leisure Park in Dover, after the new cashless payment system began on Tuesday.

But customer Steve Cesar, of Deal, told KentOnline that morning: “It’s a bit of a farce really. I've just come down Castle Hill and very nearly went elsewhere. It's not worth queuing to get in. There’s a queue to get in, there was a queue to get out.

“It’s not going to work, and the queue’s going all the way around the corner as well. This isn’t even Christmas shopping time. It’s going to get worse and the queues are just going to go all the way around Dover."

Driver Sue Mickleborough, of Alkham, had thought the queues were due to a traffic accident, rather than the ANPR system. “It’s way up the road, right back to over the next junction,” she said. “It’s crazy! People are getting angry, shouting and honking."

Customer Nina Dougall avoided using the car park completely."

The operator isn't mentioned there, but:

https://www.reflexparking.co.uk/dover-terms-conditions

"The Car Park is on private land and is operated by Reflex Parking Ltd, a Member of the British Parking Association".

Who the blinking heck are Reflex Parking?!

And:
https://www.stjames-dover.co.uk/car-parking/

"Our car park uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) for a faster, easier and more secure parking experience.

St James Dover has received the highest recognition from the British Parking Association for our exceptional parking facilities and services."

Really?

Doesn't mean anything: it's a 'slap on the back' nod of an accolade from your mates at the BPA, whose President runs two notorious parking DRAs...

How much retail business will be lost over Christmas due to this complete mess?

#ANPR in the hands of private parking firms: ruining a retail park & high street near you.

Clearly, the BPA is very proud of this particular ANPR shhh show...

Coupon-mad

Here's one MP who knows the scam:

https://armaghi.com/news/newry-news/calls-for-clampers-to-be-put-on-private-parking-companies-after-newry-woman-threatened-with-170-fine/286361

During Members’ Statements in the Assembly on December 1, SDLP Justin McNulty MLA made a statement regarding a letter received by a constituent from a solicitor threatening her.

Mr. McNulty has been consistently outspoken about predatory private parking companies threatening motorists with legalistic letters and fines, but stressed that the action of sending people correspondence from solicitors is a new, calculated, low.

McNulty stated:

“These [private parking] companies are a scourge on society. They are a money making racket, and their control over shoppers, business people, and all motorists must end."

And so say all of us.

Are you listening, MHCLG?

Doesn't look that way...

...because your Options Assessment (in the Public Consultation in September) was tone deaf. It completely failed to understand the basics: that re-packaging the minor cost of the letter chain - that's already factored into the rationale for a high Parking Charge - and calling it a 'DRF' is double recovery of the same charges ... even if you reduce it.

The Government's lawyers must:

Read and apply Beavis properly.

Apply the POFA 'maximum sum' properly.

Apply the CRA 2015 properly.

Apply the DMCC Act 2024 properly.

Recognise that counting letter costs twice is 'extorting money from motorists'.

Ban the fake 'fee' add-ons outright.