UKCPS parking charge, Bilbrough Top

FlufanFlarfan · 8 October 2024 at 4:05AM

Hi all - Earlier in the year I received an NTK from UKCPS demanding £100 (£60 within 14 days) as a "parking charge" for the reason of "no stopping" on "private roadways" at the Bilbrough Top services off the A64 near Tadcaster.

We had just spent two nights at the Premier Inn there and had just used the Starbucks drive-through on site before heading home. (I say this to show we were "genuine customers".) There was a spillage in the car, so we stopped to mop up the scalding hot coffee on someone's jeans. It can only have taken 30 seconds or so - no more than a minute. The engine wasn't turned off and no-one got out of the car.

There are indeed "No Stopping" signs all over the place (which, yes, you'd have to stop driving to be able to read), and double yellow lines (not red) where we pulled over.

So far I've followed the general advice here re UKCPS and just ignored - I've not replied or appealed or responded in any way - in the hope that it'll all eventually just go away, as folk here say that UKCPS seem not to take people to court nowadays.

With a view to contacting the landowner to try and get the charge waived, I've tried to find out who that is via multiple avenues - Premier Inn, their head office, Starbucks, another local business there that was suggested to me by Premier Inn, and North Yorkshire Council - but without success. Replies have been "we don't know / we don't deal with parking charges / there's nothing to be done / we can't tell you because of data protection / it's private land so we have no records about that" respectively. That said, I've just spotted on another thread on here that it looks like the landowner is Armstrong Massey Properties, so I'll send them a letter.

I've had several letters from UKCPS, then some from Trace Debt Recovery, and now one from Moorside Legal. This most recent one talks about how "We may be instructed by our client to issue a County Court Claim against you" if I don't pay the now-£170. Which could increase if a CCJ is entered against me, but "we want to work with you but you need to engage with us".

Is it still the case that continuing to ignore all these people and "not engage" is still the right way to go? I've been holding out fine so far, but this slew of letters from them and others is quite wearing and a bit worrying. I'm sure that's their game plan, but I guess I'm just after reassurance that I'm doing the right thing.

Thanks!

Nellymoser · 8 October 2024 at 7:16AM

I believe the advice for some years on here has been do not pay but don't ignore. You need to head to the NEWBIES FAQ Announcement thread at top of page 1 read the correct advice on what can and cannot be ignored.