PARKING FINE ROW COUPLE VOW NOT TO RETURN TO HASTINGS

Pat and Alan Silver claim they are being played for fools and reckon visitors to Hastings are treated with "contempt".

The Tonbridge Wells pensioners brought their grandchildren to the town for a sightseeing daytrip in July.

When they returned to their car, in the Rock-a-Nore car park at the end of the seafront, they were shocked to discover a fixed penalty notice had been slapped on their windscreen.

"This whole situation has been caused by a faulty pay-and-display ticket machine, but the council simply will not back down," said Pat.

"My husband put 2.80 into the machine when we arrived to cover us for three hours, but it only registered 1.80. When we spoke to the parking attendant, he told us there was a problem with the ticket machine.

"But the council is refusing to accept it and they're pushing this fine through. I think it's absolutely disgusting. What a way to treat your town's visitors!"

Pat and Alan have made it clear they will "never set foot in Hastings ever again" after their row with the council.

Officers recently dismissed the Silvers' formal objection to the parking fine, but the couple have vowed to take their fight to the top.

Pat said: "We will see them in court, if that's what it takes. It's the principle of the thing. We feel we're fighting this on behalf of everyone who could be stung like this, particularly those who couldn't afford to fight it. The little guy always loses against the big guy, but we can't let them get away with such a petty insult."

A spokesman for Hastings Borough Council said there had been "a lot of dialogue" with Mr Silvers about the fixed penalty notice. He added: "Although we took his points into account, we have issued a formal rejection to his objection. The car was parked in a pay-and-display car park at Rock-a-Nore and the ticket had expired by an hour and 50 minutes.

"The time would have been printed on the ticket and there is a tear off slip to remind the motorist when parking runs out. Mr Silver now has the opportunity to take the matter to an independent adjudicator, who will review this case."