I was slapped with a £150 parking fine despite the ticket machine not working – it’s totally unfair

A MOTORIST is refusing to pay a £150 parking fine, saying it’s unfair as the ticket machine wasn’t working.

Crickley Hill car park, between Cheltenham and Gloucester, has been a contentious spot for many drivers who have received fines when they have believed they should not have done so.

Now Nicky Dunn has spoken out about her case, which saw her fined for not buying a ticket when she parked there on May 14.

The Brockworth resident said she could not pay for her stay because the pay machine she went to was out of order and her mobile phone was not picking up a signal at the rural site - meaning she could not pay via an app.

Nicky, who had her dogs and her 90-year-old aunt with her, was given an initial £60 fine for non-payment by Minster Baywatch, which manages the car park for Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

She appealed against it, sending in a photograph she took that showed that the machine was out of order during her visit.

But the appeal was rejected and as Nicky has continued to refuse to pay up, the fine has increased to £150.

It has left her annoyed and frustrated.

She said: “I tried to pay but I couldn’t pay. I think it’s totally unfair. I’ve never ever deliberately not paid for my parking.”

She understood that other motorists had also found pay machines at the car park were not working and that they could not get a mobile phone signal.

This made her wonder whether enforcement was over zealous.

She added that the issues at the car park had been widely publicised and she claimed that some people were not going there any more because of it.

This meant that the trust would get fewer visitors to its cafe, she suggested.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust said: “Parking charges apply at Crickley Hill 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“The tariff is a £2 all day flat rate - meaning visitors can come and go within the day without needing to pay again.

“Each pay to stay is helping to support the £5,000 required each week to look after this popular wild place, to enhance habitats for wildlife, to protect important archaeology and to maintain and improve visitor facilities.

“While we apologise for the payment machine being out of order, payment can also be made by phone, online, or by downloading the RingGo app.

“Additionally - if, for any reason, visitors are not able to use a payment machine on site - payment can also be made retrospectively online or over the phone after a visit, so long as this is done by midnight on the same date.

“Full details are advertised in the car park.

“While money for parking goes directly to Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to help to pay for the essential upkeep of this important nature reserve, we receive no income from any parking fines, and these are managed entirely by an external car park management company.”