Woman refuses to pay '˜unfair' parking fine

A Worthing woman has been left '˜furious' after being slapped with a £90 parking fine, despite buying a ticket.
Rhiannon Watters, 18, is one of several motorists to express their anger at the car parkRhiannon Watters, 18, is one of several motorists to express their anger at the car park
Rhiannon Watters, 18, is one of several motorists to express their anger at the car park

Rhiannon Watters, of Ham Road, East Worthing, is one of several motorists to express their anger at CP Plus, who operates the Montague Centre Car Park, in Liverpool Gardens, Worthing.

The 18-year-old, who said she uses the car park ‘often’ used the car park on Saturday, October 15, when she headed to a nail appointment with a friend.

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She said: “I always pay for my parking and my friend saw me buy the ticket. Sometimes the machines do not even work – I have had so many problems there.”

Rhiannon, who works at the Goring Conservative Club, said she parked in the car park for an hour and 25 minutes and received the fine ten days later.

“The letter ordered me to pay £50 within 14 days, otherwise it would increase to £90 – I decided to appeal straight away as I bought a ticket and the fine was completley unfair,” said Rhiannon.

The appeal was rejected by CP Plus via email on November 11, who said the fine was ‘issued legally and correctly’ according to the British Parking Association (BPA) Approved Operators Scheme and they were ‘unable to locate a payment record from their electronic records’.

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Once an appeal is submitted to the parking firm, customers are advised that the time they have to pay the reduced amount of £50 is ‘put on hold’. And if an appeal should ‘not be upheld’, the customer will have 14 days from receipt of the firm’s response to pay the reduced amount.

Miss Watters however received a letter on the same day ordering her to pay an increased amount of £90.

She said: “I refuse to pay this fine and don’t feel like I should have to – and I am not going to give money to a company taking money off innocent people.”

Rhiannon, who has sent a further appeal to POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals) hopes the fine is cancelled and warns others about the car park, which she thinks is ‘targetting random people’.

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Dozens of drivers have previously contacted the Herald, concerned about the car park with some users who complained that the system ‘does not work’, and they had been sent penalty charge notices, despite paying for their stays.

CP Plus has yet to comment on the fine.

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