Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

Disabled couple hit with "£175 fine" for overstaying in Lady Bay car park - but they left 1 hour before limit

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/disabled-couple-hit-175-fine-040000595.html

Well it's clearly not £175 fine.

It's £170 invoice. But good on them for refusing to pay UKPC.

Useless quotes from Hugh Bladon, of the Alliance of British Drivers, who reportedly said "unfair" fines like the one Mr Kaladinskas and Ms Wardle claim to have received are too often given by parking companies.

"These parking companies have every right to fine people if the system is abused or drivers outstay their welcome..."

Really Mr Bladon?

"Fine" people?

"Every right"?

Thank heavens you aren't on the Code of Practice Steering Group. I expected better from that organisation.

UKPC didn't respond to the newspaper.

#PRIVATE PARKING FIRMS:
ruining a retail park and the high streets near you.

Wakey wakey MHCLG. The private parking industry DOES NOT "play an important role in supporting our local economies and high streets". All too often It does the exact opposite.

I hope the new minister is better than the naivete that was spouted in the Summer.

Coupon-mad

Yet another deluded pub actually thinks ParkingEye will help 'manage' their car park... and they actually believe they will have a complete right to cancel 'fines' for customers.

We'll see how soon they regret it when their customers PCNs go to fake 'debt recovery' stage and are not cancelled.

Regulars & locals will soon boycott the pub:

https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/25711507.parking-charges-will-prioritise-genuine-customers-village-pub/

"The changes came into force on December 18 at The Royal in Bolton le Sands, reserving the car park for use by pub customers only and enforcing fines for any other drivers using the car park.

The new system will see The Royal’s guests required to enter their registration plate on an in-house system for every visit. Anyone parking without registering their details will risk incurring an "enforceable fine."   

The Royal said they would ensure that genuine customers were protected from any errors in the system."

Ahem: I think you'll find you can't, or are very limited to only cancelling these within weeks, and you will very soon see your customers and your staff sued.

Oh dear. Stupid idiots. They will learn the hard way. Why didn't they Google it?

All they needed was a gate. Or an attractive food/drink offer on a poster encouraging parkers to become customers.

#PRIVATE PARKING FIRMS:
ruining pubs, gyms, GP surgeries, hotels and driving people away from the high streets.

The BPA must be so proud.

Car1980

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/dec/20/fuel-theft-row-banned-petrol-stations-cash

Turns out Forecourt Eye's competitor is VARS Technology. Their business model? Send claims to DCB Legal who then discontinue.

kryten3000

Car1980 said:

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/dec/20/fuel-theft-row-banned-petrol-stations-cash

Turns out Forecourt Eye's competitor is VARS Technology. Their business model? Send claims to DCB Legal who then discontinue.

I predict more of this sort of thing when the government parking code finally gets implemented.

Scammers got to scam.

Nellymoser

kryten3000 said:

Car1980 said:

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/dec/20/fuel-theft-row-banned-petrol-stations-cash

Turns out Forecourt Eye's competitor is VARS Technology. Their business model? Send claims to DCB Legal who then discontinue.

I predict more of this sort of thing when the government parking code finally gets implemented.

Scammers got to scam.

Horrific sickening article in the guardian.  Atrocious what VARS and DCB Legal did to this family for 18 mths especially when both companies weren't prepared to go in front of a judge with their accusation of fuel theft....

"when the couple arrived at court, they found that VARS Technology had discontinued the claim" 😲😲😲

Hope the couple claimed costs.

Agree with kryten3000 we'll be seeing more of this sort of thing especially if some drivers with a bank statement proving they'd paid for their fuel are prepared to pay the scammers invoice to “just move on from it”. 

_____________

FORECOURT EYE is coming to Tesco DD3 Scotland filling station. Visited yesterday for petrol noticed large signs are insitu informing customers of this forthcoming ANPR monitoring.

Would you like a receipt the sales assistant asks Yes please I replied one is needed incase Tesco staff claim I didn't pay for my fuel. 

1505grandad

Make sure you keep the receipt with and not drop it else another scam charge for littering

Coupon-mad

Q:
When is a double yellow line not a double yellow line?

A:
When a notorious 'cowboy' firm paints or relies on DYL mimicking lines on what looks like public highway, and adds no visible or permanent signage. Not even a warning that this is road is private.

They've set up an unremarkable CCTV camera (this is illegal when it's covert and excessive 24/7 unannounced surveillance like this - see camera at top of image):



Hey presto! ... let's churn out fake PCNs, pretending the usual DYL exemption for Blue Badge Holders and loading / unloading somehow "doesn't apply":

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sittingbourne/news/dozens-of-blue-badge-holders-fined-for-parking-while-collect-334157/

"Blue Badge holder Dean Phillips has been parking in the same spot for the past 40 years to visit the pharmacy for a couple of minutes and believes the new enforcement is purely a “money-making scheme”. Because of his job as a driving instructor, he did not want to risk a county court judgement so decided to pay after his appeal was dismissed.

However, because he opted to appeal his penalty notice, he forfeited his right to a reduced penalty fee of £60 and had to pay £100 instead, an action he described as “devastating”.

Also falling foul, delivery driver Ryan Pook is facing legal action after stopping for two minutes to drop off some parcels. Since the incident, the 40-year-old has stopped delivering there because “it’s not worth the hassle”.

Kamsons Pharmacy told KentOnline its staff and delivery drivers had also been fined after cameras were suddenly installed, costing the company hundreds of pounds.

A spokesperson said the restrictions have made it very difficult for patients because the pharmacy is on a busy road where there is nowhere else to park. They said: “Patients are unhappy with the situation, but because it is a private company, there is little we can do. Patients are still attending but if it continues, it will put people off coming to the pharmacy.”

Another disabled victim says after he received the fine, a One Parking Solution sign appeared at the entrance to the industrial estate temporarily, which has since been removed."

Quelle surprise.

I bet OPS took a photo of that sign while it was up. Knowing how these gutter-dwellers operate, I think they'll use it against people even though, reportedly, the sign isn't even up now.

And no doubt the IPC will lap it up because they love a picture of a sign which ticks their 'site audit' box.

One Parking Solution:
I truly hate you and everything you stand for. Your conduct, greed and consumer blame ethos is appalling. I am embarrassed that your hated firm is Sussex-based like me and that your motley crew support the same team as me. I detest driving past your offices.

Get lost. Look at your Trustpilot reviews: are you not embarrassed when returning home to your families after 'work' knowing that you do what MPs would say is nothing whatsoever for Society?

I hope your firm is permanently banned by the DVLA one day ... but I think you are chancers 'making hay while the sun shines' and you'll already know that a ban could happen if you don't change your approach massively.

You should be ashamed.

"The matter has been referred to a compliance team for investigation with the International Parking Community, a trade association for the private parking sector."

Wow. Don't hold your breath oldies! Anyone wanna guess at the outcome of that so-called IPC investigation?

kryten3000

From the Guardian - Council charges proposed in Clevedon

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/23/clevedon-somerset-traders-councillors-oppose-street-parking-charges

kryten3000

From LinkedIn - apparently a 96% win rate isn't good enough for Parking Awareness.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7410295700883664897/