‘I was in the wrong car park for 11 seconds too long and was fined £60!’

A pensioner fined for overstaying a car park’s five-minute grace period by just 11 seconds has branded the £60 penalty “crazy” after failing to have it overturned. Brenda Reed had returned to Kent for the first time in 60 years as she wanted to revisit Margate’s Winter Gardens with her niece, having seen The Beatles play the venue in 1963. But her trip down memory lane was ruined after they realised they had parked in the wrong car park and were later fined for failing to leave the site within five minutes of arriving, missing the cut-off by seconds.

Mrs Reed, 78, believes her appeal to have the £60 ticket torn up should have been accepted, arguing signs at the Lido car park in Cliftonville are not clear enough and motorists should be given a longer grace period. “We were just looking for the Winter Gardens and realised we needed to go further up the coastline, so had literally stopped the car, got out, realised our mistake and drove further up,” she explained. “It was a nostalgic visit for me and was totally ruined by receiving a £60 fine for pulling in and out of a parking lot.



“I felt so sad that the wonderful memory we had experienced, and a walk down memory lane for me, was messed up by the craziness of such a large fine for driving in and out of a car park. “I did not see any clear sign in the car park that something like this could happen. “Signage in the car park needs to be much bigger and clearer, and there should be a 10 or 15-minute grace period before issuing a ticket.

” The fine was issued by car park enforcement firm Parking Eye, which uses number-plate recognition cameras and says the rules are displayed on “prominent and highly visible signs”. But other motorists this week dismissed the claims, saying the signage is not clear enough to those entering the car park. Lucy Mwangi, 52, told KentOnline there is little consideration for tourists or those who do not know the area, “Sometimes you feel like they’re doing that to catch you out,” she said.

“I think they should give you more leeway because people keep being caught out.” Martin Pleece, 74, says the onus is put on motorists to check, rather than making any restrictions as clear as possible. “It’s like with many car parks, you’ve got to look, haven’t you?” he said.

“Whatever car park you go in, you’ve got to stop if necessary, get out of your car and read the signs. It’s not right at all.” Brenda, who flew over to England from Nashville, USA, says she and her niece paid the £60 upfront as they feared the fee would rise to £100 while they awaited the outcome of their appeal, which was rejected.

A ParkingEye spokesperson said: “The car park at Lido in Margate is monitored by ANPR camera systems and has 14 prominent and highly visible signs that give motorists clear guidance on how to use the car park responsibly. “Motorists are advised that tariffs apply 24/7 and that they have the option to pay by the machine on-site or by phone. “The motorist parked in the car park without paying and therefore received a parking charge.

“ParkingEye operates a BPA (British Parking Association) audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal their parking charge. “The motorist did not provide any mitigating circumstances for failing to adhere to the terms and conditions of the car park and their appeal was rejected.”.