Resident facing court for parking outside her Shoreham home

A worried resident is calling for common sense after being threatened with court for parking outside her home.
Jo Hind is frustrated about a parking disagreement. Picture: Steve RobardsJo Hind is frustrated about a parking disagreement. Picture: Steve Robards
Jo Hind is frustrated about a parking disagreement. Picture: Steve Robards

Jo Hind lives in Orchard Gate in Shoreham and has a parking bay for her terraced house.

But when she briefly parked in a visitor bay she was slapped with a parking ticket. Thinking she was in the right she refused to pay, and could now be taken to court.

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Jo, 57, said: “I am worried that I am risking paying hundreds on court fees.

“It’s escalated beyond reasonable proportion.”

The issue began in January when Jo needed plumbing work done on her home that would take two weeks.

While she was at work as a finance manager the plumber used her space.

On the rare occasion when she got home before the plumber left, she parked in the visitor’s space.

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Jo added: “People who come to my house for dinner just park in the visitor’s bay

“But because I was aware the parking reguarltions were stringent I thought the best thing to do was contact the parking authority just to alert them that that would be happening.”

She left a message for the parking regulatior – UK Car Park Management – asking them to let her know if it would be an issue.

Jo never heard back. That is, until she received a £40 penalty notice in the post.

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Jo said: “It had a photograph of my car parked in a visitor bay with my resident’s permit displayed in the window.

“At the time I did not even understand what I had done.

“Had the plumber used the space there would not have been a visitor’s space for a fortnight.”

Jo said she later found out that had she removed her permit from her windscreen she would not have been committing an offence.

After refusing to pay the fine, she has now been threatened with court action that could cost her hundreds of pounds.

UK Car Park Management was approached for comment but declined to provide one.

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