Parking stories in the News/media

MrJenkinsEsq

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw980vl0r3j2o

"While some customer registrations were successfully recorded during this time, others were not transmitted correctly, resulting in some motorists receiving parking charge notices in error," a statement from the business said.

It said it was writing to all those affected to "confirm that no further action is required on their part".

Coupon-mad

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82148361#Comment_82148361

I remember posting about this 7 months ago when the Co-op seemed oblivious that some idiot suit had signed a contract with IpServ.

Co-op seemed clueless and pretended the signs were there 'in error':

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgj08wn90qo

Now they are saying it's necessary.

They'll lose loads of customers.

Coupon-mad

https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/26574626.single-parent-fined-100-stopping-near-norwich-airport/

VCS again with their extortionate no-stopping Airport red routes.

"A single parent has accused a parking company of "robbing" drivers after she was fined £100 for stopping for 32 seconds."

Vehicle Control Services should be ashamed, but they never are. It's one of Captain Clampit (Simon Renshaw-Smith)'s greedy ex-clamper firms.

Coupon-mad

https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/26568969.75-year-old-man-charged-170-missing-parking-signs/

A 75-year-old man was charged £170 after missing new parking signs at Ulverston Health Centre.

Arthur Granger, from Kirkby, visited the centre on July 2 for an orthopaedic assessment. He had not been there since before cameras were installed for the new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) parking system.

Mr Granger said he did not receive the first notice, which would have carried a lower charge and allowed him to appeal. Instead, two months later, he received a letter from bailiffs demanding £170.

His partner, Mr Hugh said: "It was quite intimidating because that letter arrived on the very last day that you had to pay before you will get taken to court." Mr Hugh said: "He's not good at dealing with things like this so I rang the bailiffs and I said we haven't received anything."

The bailiffs initially said the matter should be taken up with the post office.

The letter had a printing date but no franking mark, meaning there was no clear evidence of when it had been posted.

The bailiffs later emailed Mr Hugh a copy of the original notice from National Parking Control (NPC). It showed a much lower charge, with an option to appeal and pay less if payment was made promptly.

Mr Granger paid the £170 because he feared court action. When Mr Hugh later contacted NPC, he was told payment meant Mr Granger had accepted liability.

https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/26522440.elderly-woman-fined-170-parking-ulverston-health-centre/?ref=ed_direct


She also said she had not received the original notice and paid after becoming concerned about bailiffs and court action.

BUT IT WAS A DOUBLE DIP!

Marilynd went to the pharmacy at 11am to drop off a repeat prescription and at 5pm attended a scheduled appointment at the health centre.

On August 10, 54 days later, she received a parking fine for £170 claiming her car had been parked in the car park from 11am to 5pm.

 "I panicked and paid it straight away. I didn't want bailiffs coming to my house and I was scared of going to court."

With the help of her friend, Marilynd tried to appeal the fine after paying it however National Parking Control replied explaining that paying the fine was accepting liability.

Marilynd said:

"The letter I received demanding £170 frightened me to death. I thought I was going to prison. I paid it out of sheer panic and fear".

NPC said in an email to Marilynd: "Please note that as you have paid your PCN you have accepted liability of the charge. This means we will not accept any appeal, neither will we issue a refund."

Another health centre user, who has asked to remain anonymous, raised concerns about vulnerable residents with Michelle Scrogham MP. Mrs Scrogham said: "The way the scheme has been introduced has been far from ideal and it has caused some real problems for people.

"I’ve been working with NHS Property Services, Ulverston Town Council, and Westmorland and Furness Council to raise the issues and try to find solutions.

I’m aware that there have been some problems with the system and fines issued when they shouldn’t have been. I know that even some members of the district nursing team have received fines, which is just not acceptable."

I'll tell you what else is unacceptable, NPC:

• not reissuing PCNs when people haven't received them… one wonders, are the PCNs even being posted at all?
• not sending letters first class with that identified clearly on envelopes, for transparency and fairness, given the POFA 2012 deadline that can mean a recipient isn't liable and should have evidence of date posted & class used;
• using a debt firm that passes itself off as bailiffs (this has even misled the journalist);
• double dips (this is fraud: obtaining money under false pretences);
• refusing to refund an 83 year old when she later calmed down and disputed the double dip scam, telling her she'd 'accepted liability' FOR VISITING THE HEALTH CENTRE TWICE AND NOT BREACHING ANY TERM;
• hiding the unexpected VRM screen somewhere so obscure in the Health Centre that the medical staff have had to create their own WARNING notice (you can see this isn't from NPC because the staff are warning their patients of a 'fine'):

Coupon-mad

Oh look!

Another council-owned Country Park is stupidly letting a private ANPR firm in:

https://www.swanage.news/durlston-country-park-to-bring-in-new-way-to-pay-for-parking/

What could possibly go wrong…?

Well we all know what happened at Kent Country Parks when the council let Euro Car Parks infest the sites:

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/i-d-rather-go-to-prison-than-pay-140-euro-car-parks-fine-320781/

Durlston Country Park will be one to watch. It's owned by Dorset Council so like the Kent country parks, it will be subject to FOI requests.

Coupon-mad

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/100-parking-fines-wrongly-issued-after-camera-issue-at-reta-345468/

Parking firm admits camera issue at Aylesford Retail Park, home to Aldi, McDonald’s and Poundstretcher off Hermitage Lane

"A motorist who was accused of spending 24 hours at a retail park after making separate visits to McDonald’s and Aldi ended up with a £100 parking fine - and she wasn’t the only one.

Charlotte Watson, 35, who visited the McDonald’s drive-through in Hermitage Lane, Aylesford, at around 1.30am on Friday, August 21. After eating her food in the car park, she drove home.

However, she returned to the retail park around 24 hours later to shop at Aldi before visiting her mum in West Malling.

Within days, she received a £100 parking charge from Civil Enforcement Ltd, who said she had exceeded the maximum free parking period of 90 minutes.

“I was quite annoyed, to be fair, as I’d just had to fork out to get my car fixed when my car broke down. I didn’t see why I should pay for a fine when I haven’t done anything wrong.”

She appealed, providing Ring doorbell evidence showing she had been at her mum’s home in between and had made two separate trips to the retail park.

Thankfully, her fine was cancelled but she knows many others have faced similar circumstances, prompting anxiety and worry.

Hartnell Taylor Cook (HTC) took over the management of the site for the landowner less than two years ago and inherited the parking contract from the previous managing agent.

A spokesperson for (site managing agents) HTC said: “We were disappointed to hear about these issues and immediately held a meeting with Creative Parking [Civil Enforcement Ltd] to address this. We have asked them to review their practices and all equipment on site as part of a wider evaluation of their contract.”

When KentOnline contacted Civil Enforcement Ltd, the firm said:

“Whilst we don’t discuss individual cases, we can confirm that there was an issue with a camera whereby some vehicles received a penalty charge notice incorrectly…"

They admitted "there was an issue with a camera…"

Errrr no, CEL.

As you know full well, these cases are 'double dips' which happen precisely because you deliberately set up your ANPR cameras to auto-issue PCNs based on 'first in last out' images across 24 hours.

It's not the camera, it's an issue with your company's lazy, negligent processes designed to issue PCNs using 'Automated Decision-Making' systems with no protections or meaningful human involvement.

The remedy is, you are meant to do 'human checks' to look for double dips and NOT get DVLA keeper data at all…

Coupon-mad

https://www.harboroughmail.co.uk/business/tenants-of-fleckney-pub-defend-decision-to-charge-for-parking-after-residents-hit-with-fines-9130299

The tenants of a pub in Fleckney said they want to set the record straight after people raised concerns over new parking enforcement at two car parks in the village.

Everards Brewery owns the Old Crown on the High Street, as well as the car park behind the property.

The landlady at the Old Crown, Paula Townsend, has been running the pub for eight years. She has been sent threats after announcing the paid parking online and says there has been confusion surrounding the enforcement.

“People are saying, ‘Let’s go and boycott the pub.’ Why should I be targeted for that?”

There had been confusion regarding a 15-minute grace period - with people pulling into the car park for short stays. Even Paula was unclear about the details. She explained: “The 15-minute grace means you have 15 minutes to download the app. I thought they meant a 15 grace where you could just quickly park and go to the chemist. But it isn’t.”

And residents claim the enforcement already has impacted the roads.

Laura Gee has lived in the village for 25 years, and says people have been handed fines when parking. She said: “[An elderly woman] was there for six minutes and she got a fine. People are literally just nipping in and out."

Laura said: “[People] park right outside [the car park], but then that is a massive inconvenience for anyone passing through the village because it’s carnage. That’s then making the Co-op car park more busy as well. You need to not be shafting your residents like that.”

A spokesman for LEC Pubs, speaking on behalf of the tenants of The Old Crown, said:

“We are aware that concerns about the new parking arrangements have been raised directly with Everards Brewery and have also been discussed within the local community.

We want to make it very clear that Everards Brewery did not introduce the parking enforcement. The decision was made by us, as the current tenants and operators of The Old Crown.”

Idiots.

This has been known to almost put pubs out of business, e.g.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/loggerheads-mold-car-park-fines-13774891.amp

They'll learn.

Coupon-mad

This new article below is an update to the one I posted about in December 2025, with images showing double yellows, no signage and completely covert CCTV with no GDPR privacy notice or camera surveillance warning, as far as could be seen

IN DECEMBER 2025, I SAID THIS:

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":

December article:

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."


***************************************************

Update now:

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sittingbourne/news/an-appeal-left-unanswered-for-nearly-a-year-isnt-acceptabl-345352/

"For decades, Kamsons Pharmacy customers had been routinely parking on the double yellow lines at the nearby entrance to the London Road industrial estate in Sittingbourne to pop in and pick up their prescriptions.

Blue Badge holders are allowed to park on single or double yellow lines for up to three hours, provided it is a public road.

However, between July and November last year, some began receiving fines from parking management company One Parking Solution on behalf of Springfield Place, a three-storey apartment building next door.

Blue Badge holder Ronald Dimond, 93, is yet to receive a response to his appeal for a fine dated October 4, 2025, despite ongoing letters from debt collectors he believes amount to “intimidation and harassment”.

Meanwhile, Sittingbourne mum Zoe Adams says her appeal was denied - AND SHE ACTUALLY PAID OPS £100 TO REMOVE THE STRESS - despite providing evidence that she was picking up medication for her daughter Ivie, who is in remission from bone cancer and has a Blue Badge.

KentOnline got in touch with Sittingbourne MP Kevin McKenna, who wrote to One Parking Solution and the IPC this summer to raise concerns that appeals were being submitted without a response.

In addition, he asked for clarification over why signage had since been removed and whether a warning letter or transition period had been considered to warn motorists of changes to parking enforcement at the entrance.

One Parking Solution did not respond to the letter sent on July 14.

However, this month the IPC responded, sharing the outcome of its investigation. The IPC also agreed to meet with Sittingbourne MP Kevin McKenna (Lab) and KentOnline to discuss the history of parking at the industrial estate entrance.

In a letter sent to Mr McKenna, the IPC said it had carried out site audits and reviewed the signage, and concluded OPS’s enforcement did not breach the Code of Practice. It said no formal action was needed at that time.

However, the IPC confirmed that OPS had stopped enforcement on the access road at the request of the landowner, and signs have since been removed."

Lifted the carpet and swept the dirt under it. Nothing to see here, eh IPC?

Coupon-mad

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/new-solihull-dad-ready-go-34650601

Matthew Bartlett from Solihull has been issued a £170 demand after allegedly failing to pay for a parking space

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/midland-dad-ready-go-court-34624156

• The Evology app, run by Parkingeye, has a poor 1.8 out of five rating on TrustPilot with multiple complaints about incorrect charges.
• "They won't be getting a penny out of me on principle," Matthew said. "I'm willing to go to court because they're in the wrong."
• The new father says the dispute has caused him sleepless nights on top of caring for his newborn baby. Debt collectors are now involved after his appeals were rejected.

Good for him!

We all know - he probably doesn't - that DCB Legal will file a claim but discontinue it before any hearing.

Nellymoser

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-16118217/amp/Im-nurse-got-100-charge-parking-patients-home-do.html

UK Car Park Management cancels pcn they issued to community nurse when delivering palliative care to a patient at home after This Money contacted the firm.

UK CPM say they are also reviewing how information about the free visitor permit scheme is communicated to ensure healthcare staff and other visitors can access and register for permits as easily as possible.