PARKED OFF
I was slapped with a £60 fine by a parking firm after they sold me a space that didn’t EXIST… it’s a joke
A MOTORIST has told how they were slapped with a £60 fine by a parking firm after they sold them a space that didn't exist.
The disgruntled driver explained he had rented a bay at the NCP car park at Stansted Mountfitchet station in Essex in advance.
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Due to commuting to work via train each weekday morning, they park their car there on a daily basis.
The car owner said they mostly buy their parking tickets on the PayByPhone app, sometimes months ahead of time.
But despite safely securing a spot in a bid to make their mornings earlier, the driver ran into a disaster.
They told The Telegraph that after forking out for four days' worth of parking, they arrived to find "all the spaces in the car park were full."
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The motorist explained: "My train, which I desperately needed to catch, was departing in five minutes.
"So I parked next to a painted bay, making great efforts to ensure I wasn’t blocking access for anyone else."
Despite their best efforts to overcome the frustrating issue, the Brit was unbelievably hit with a parking charge penalty notice of £60.
They were left baffled as to why a fine had been sent out as they had in fact paid for their parking.
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The driver continued: "What annoys me is that it turns out that NCP continues to sell tickets for the car park even when it knows all the spaces have already been taken.
"This is grossly unfair. NCP is selling tickets for a service it knows it is unable to fulfil."
And despite appealing the penalty notice and explaining the reasoning for where they parked their car, NCP turned it down.
The enraged car owner added: "It has accused me of breaching its terms and conditions, but in practice, I had no other option than to park my car where I safely could on that morning and get on the train."
The Sun has contacted NCP for comment.
If you want to avoid unnecessary parking tickets, why not read whether you can be fined if the ticket machine isn't working.
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But Brits are set to face an avalanche of penalty notices later this year, thanks to an "unfair" rule change.
On May 31, councils in England and Wales will be given new powers to fine motorists up to £70 for minor traffic offences such as stopping in yellow box junctions, illegal turns and driving in cycle lanes.
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