3 days Ago
Many come forward to report being illegitimately fined for parking in Iceland, Abertillery. There is growing outrage in Abertillery after multiple individuals say they’ve been wrongly issued £100 fines for parking in what they believe are public bays. The parking bays, located at the side of the Iceland supermarket in Abertillery, have become the subject of focus with a private parking company issuing penalty charge notices.
This is despite the spaces being designated for public use and seemingly owned by the council. Neil Milkins is just one individual to receive fines for using one of the four bays. "I had parked in one of the four public parking bays since May 2024.
Then out of the blue I received two £100 fixed penalty charge notices for parking there on 20th and 26th March," he said. Since Mr Milkins highlighted the issue, others have come forward to report similar instances in which they have been fined for parking in the same bays. "I have been made aware that dozens of people have made comments on Facebook that they have been given £100 penalty notices over a year or more," Mr Milkins explained.
As more people come forward, it remains unclear how many have been affected by the fines, and how many have felt pressured into paying. He said: "The parking company has threatened adding £70 to the charge if not paid and, if then unpaid, will send in the bailiffs.".
Many of those to come forward note the distress it’s caused them and the difficulty they’ve faced when challenging the fines. "Although I knew I hadn't parked unlawfully, it still caused me a lot of stress whilst waiting for the charges to be cancelled," Mr Milkins explained. Despite having his own fines overturned he remains concerned for others who have been affected.
He stated: "I do however feel very sorry for the people who have also been bullied into paying these unlawful charges. Hopefully, the company will pay back these charges." With Mr Milkins' story sparking a wave of similar reports, it raises serious questions about how a private firm has been able to issue fines on what many thought were public parking spaces.
The bays are thought to be owned by Blaenau Gwent Borough Council and are believed to be free. When contacted for a comment on the issue, Blaenau Gwent Borough Council said: "We can confirm that vehicles can legally access and park in these bays as they are owned by the council. "We wrote to Iceland last year to request that the company issuing the fines were provided with this information and requested that no further penalty charge notices were issued.
We were disappointed not to receive a reply to our letter. We will write to the company again to seek further clarity, and we will continue to advise motorists who have received fines of this position." At the time of writing, the private parking company responsible for issuing the fines has yet to provide a statement on the matter.
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