Martin Lewis explains council and private company parking fines
One driver ended up with an almost £400 penalty by simply missing one letter from his registration plate when he paid for parking online. Mark Shea made the error as he quickly filled out his number plate en-route to a business meeting in Bury back in 2019.
He said: “I went to my appointment thinking nothing more of it.
“I came out from the appointment around 40 minutes later knowing I had 20 minutes left and found a parking attendant at the car, so I asked if he was just checking as I had 20 minutes left on the parking I had paid for?
“He replied that I didn’t have parking, to which I said I did and produced the proof via the app.
“It was then that I discovered that the reg was out by one letter at the end, and I suspected that it was an auto-correct.
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“When I tried to discuss this with the parking attendant, he said it was up to me to double-check, he wouldn’t be doing anything more about it, and I could appeal if I wanted to.”
Mr Shea was handed a penalty of £25 but refused to pay the fee which he believed was issued unfairly.
However, the charge began to grow from just £35 to £159 and now to a total of £393 removal service.
He added: “The response has been that it’s up to you to check it but we went back saying we’re just expecting a normal human response.
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“We thought it was over, we moved house and the next thing we know we’ve got this letter of removal.”
Mr Shea has attempted to contact the Traffic Enforcement Centre but has been told they can’t comment on the validity of the charge.
However, the draconian rule is set to be closed down under new proposals set out last August by Communities Secretary Ribery Jenrick.
Unfair private car park tickets will be eliminated under a new Parking Code of Practice and framework.
The government promises that a new Appeals Charter will reduce charges to between £0 and £20 if drivers make a keying error.
They will have their fine cancelled if they have one wrong letter or get the order of their number plate a tiny bit jumbled.
A fine of up to £20 will be issued for major keying errors such as only a partial plate being registered or putting in someone else’s plate details by mistake.
The new Charter also promises to cancel fines if there is evidence of a genuine reason for a driver making the mistake.
Announcing the proposals Mr Jenrick said the updates would “put a stop” to rogue firms using “aggressive tactics” against road users.
He said: “These new measures are a victory for the millions of motorists across the country.
“They will put a stop once and for all to rogue parking firms using aggressive tactics and handing out unfair parking tickets with no right to appeal, while also boosting our high streets by making it easier for people to park near their local shops without being unfairly fined.
“Our proposals will restore common sense to the way parking fines are issued, while cracking down on the worst offenders who put other people in danger and hinder our emergency services from carrying out their duties.”
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