Driver baffled after receiving £100 parking fine when his broken down car was on the back of a TOW TRUCK at service station
A DRIVER'S day went from bad to worse when he was given a £100 parking fine -- while his car was on the back of a TOW TRUCK.
James Cook, 22, was on his way to a romantic break in Scotland with his girlfriend when his car overheated.
His journey ended at Knutsford Service Station in Cheshire -- half way from his home in Leamington Spa to the Scottish border -- when steam started billowing from his car's bonnet.
He called the RAC who tried to fix the motor but had to tow it away three hours later.
Not only was his holiday ruined, but days later James received a letter from a car park operator saying he was being fined £100.
CP Plus Ltd said he had overstayed the two hour parking limit -- despite the fact his car had clearly broken down.
The company demanded he pay the fine, which could be reduced to £60 if he paid within two weeks.
Mr Cook, who works as a photo processor, said: “I just burst out laughing.
“The first thing I saw was the pictures. I thought ‘someone is having a laugh here’.
“I couldn’t believe it. I appealed it straight away.
“They asked me to send them the evidence, so I just wrote to them and said ‘you have sent me the evidence you jokers’.
“Two days later they wrote back to say they were cancelling the fine.”
He added: “It doesn’t look like an automatic thing to me. It looks like someone has put those pictures in the boxes and it’s been through a person.”
An email from CP Plus to Mr Cook sent on Monday confirmed the fine had been cancelled.
It read: “In light of your claims, the representations stated in your appeal have been noted and upheld.
“We apologise sincerely for any inconvenience and can confirm that this notice has been cancelled in full and no further action will take place on this occasion.”
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