Wigan man's fury over fine for parking despite paying

Stephen Barker has been forced to shell out £200 for two fines for parking in a car park in King Street, despite sending proof that he had paid for tickets on both occasions.

And while Stephen, 51, admits he made an error when entering his registration details, he felt it was unfair that the car park owners, HX Car Park Management, have upheld the penalties.

He said: “It’s an absolute rip off. I think they are trying to catch people out. It’s annoying because I’ve done all the right things apart from entering my reg.”

Stephen’s first ticket came after parking on March 19, and the second on March 23. On both occasions, he misread the rules requiring drivers to enter the full vehicle registration, and instead only input the first two digits.

Despite receiving two penalty charge notices in the post, Stephen was confident that the issue would be resolved swiftly, after sending them his tickets as proof that he had paid, as well as an explanation.

But the pharmacy dispenser from Pemberton was shocked to discover that his appeals were rejected, despite obvious signs that he had paid the correct amount for parking up.

He said: “The first letter said I didn’t pay, but after I showed them that I had, they then said that it was because I didn’t comply with the terms and conditions. But they know it’s me because they have a picture of my car. They are moving the goalposts.

“To me, it’s just a way for them to make money.

Stephen, who used to use the car park frequently, added: “I just think it’s ridiculous. I don’t know what I was supposed to do. You never had to enter your registration number before.”

He went on: “I bet they have done this to so many people. The only way to hit back is if everybody boycotts them.

HX Car Park Management were contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.