A woman slammed a parking firm as ‘cold-hearted’ after she was given a £100 fine for stopping to help her unwell husband.
Lynne Butcher and partner Henry stopped at the Ashford Retail Park in Kent when he had a ‘medical emergency’.
They pulled in at around 6.30pm on February 26 and stayed for 28 minutes so Henry, who was driving, could take a break.
But, to their dismay, a month later they were issued with a £100 fine.
Lynne, 59, from South Willesborough, said it was dark and she was pre-occupied with her husband’s health so she didn’t notice the signs.
Lynne Butcher, 59, and partner Henry stopped at the Ashford Retail Park in Kent when he had a ‘medical emergency’ while driving in February
At the time, signs said parking was allowed for three hours for free between 6am and 9pm Monday to Saturday and from 6am to 5.30pm on a Sunday
She said: ‘It was pitch black. I didn’t even think about looking at the signs to see what they said because I was more concerned about my husband’s health.
‘I didn’t know if I was going to be calling an ambulance. But thankfully he recovered.’
The couple received the fine as they had parked after 5.30pm on a Sunday, when restrictions applied.
At the time, signs said parking was allowed for three hours for free between 6am and 9pm Monday to Saturday and from 6am to 5.30pm on a Sunday.
However, the rules changed just one day after the couple received their fine in the post.
The new terms and conditions say customers can now park for up to three hours from 7am to 9pm every day.
Lynne tried to appeal the penalty to Group Nexus, the company which runs the car park, and explained to them why the couple had stopped, but the appeal was rejected.
Lynne added: ‘For his safety we parked there and I thought it was really disgusting we were given this fine.
‘I came here the day after receiving the letter and there were black bin sacks over each of the signs so I couldn’t verify what their parking rules were.
‘I sent a photo of the black sacks, a photo of my husband’s blue badge letting them know what happened that night and waited.
‘Then we had an email come through another month later to say there were plenty of signs. We don’t accept this as a valid excuse.
Lynne tried to appeal the penalty to Group Nexus, the company which runs the car park, but her appeal was rejected
After the appeal was rejected, they paid the fine which was reduced to £60, with an additional £1.50 admin fee online
‘It was a medical emergency. We weren’t there for very long.
‘I felt they were cold-hearted and I’m just thoroughly disgusted by their reaction.
‘I nearly lost my husband to Covid so with all the worries I have about his health, we didn’t need this extra expense or worry.’
After the appeal was rejected, they paid the fine which was reduced to £60, with an additional £1.50 admin fee online.
A spokesperson for Group Nexus said: ‘The parking charge was issued on March 9 as the vehicle remained on site during a no parking period on February 26.
‘As per the signage which was displayed at the time, the three hour maximum stay applied between the hours of 6am and 5.30pm.
‘No parking was permitted outside of these hours. The vehicle was on site from 6.32pm to 7pm.
‘We received an appeal which was subsequently rejected on April 25 and full payment was received on May 5.
‘The new terms and conditions, along with new signage, have been in place from March 27.’
