Pensioner slapped with fine for overstaying in car park for 11 seconds

Brenda Reed was £60 for overstaying by conscionable 11 seconds (Image: SWNS)

A pensioner has spoke of her choler aft she was slapped with a good for overstaying a car park's five-minute grace play - by conscionable 11 seconds.

Brenda Reed, 78, returned to Kent from the USA for the archetypal clip successful 60 years arsenic she wanted to revisit Margate's Winter Gardens with her niece, aft seeing The Beatles play the venue successful 1963.

But her travel down representation lane was ruined aft she realised she had parked successful the incorrect car parkland and was aboriginal fined for failing to permission the tract conscionable seconds excessively late.

Mrs Reed believes her "crazy" £60 summons should person been torn up - arguing that signs astatine the Lido Car Park are not wide capable and motorists should beryllium fixed a longer grace period.

She said: "We were conscionable looking for the Winter Gardens and realised we needed to spell further up the coastline, truthful had virtually stopped the car, got out, realised our mistake, and drove further up.

"It was a nostalgic sojourn for maine and was wholly ruined by receiving a £60 good for pulling successful and retired of a parking lot.

"I felt truthful bittersweet that the fantastic representation we had experienced, and a locomotion down representation lane for me, was messed up by the craziness of specified a ample good for driving successful and retired of a car park.

Brenda did not realise she was successful the incorrect car parkland (Image: SWNS)

"I did not spot immoderate wide motion successful the car parkland that thing similar this could happen. Signage successful the car parkland needs to beryllium overmuch bigger and clearer, and determination should beryllium a 10 oregon 15-minute grace play earlier issuing a ticket."

Mrs Reed, who had flown implicit to England from Nashville, USA, appealed the good arsenic she thought it was unfair.

However, she and her niece were acrophobic the interest would emergence to £100 portion they waited a determination truthful paid the £60 upfront - and their entreaty was rejected anyway.

The good was issued by car parkland enforcement steadfast Parking Eye, which uses number-plate designation cameras.

A spokesperson said the rules are displayed connected "prominent and highly disposable signs".

Lucy Mwangi says determination is small information for tourists who don't cognize the country (Image: SWNS)

But Mrs Reed is not the lone motorist who disagrees with this.

Local nonmigratory Lucy Mwangi, 52, argued determination is small information for tourists oregon those who bash not cognize the area.

She said: "Sometimes you consciousness similar they're doing that to drawback you out. I deliberation they should springiness you much leeway due to the fact that radical support being caught out."

Martin Pleece, 74, added that the onus is placed connected motorists to question retired the rules - alternatively than making immoderate restrictions arsenic wide arsenic possible.

He said: "It's similar with galore car parks, you've got to look, haven't you?

"Whatever car parkland you spell in, you've got to halt if necessary, get retired of your car, and work the signs. It's not close astatine all."

A ParkingEye spokesperson said: "The car parkland astatine Lido successful Margate is monitored by ANPR camera systems and has 14 salient and highly disposable signs that springiness motorists wide guidance connected however to usage the car parkland responsibly.

"Motorists are advised that tariffs use 24/7 and that they person the enactment to wage by the instrumentality on-site oregon by phone.

"The motorist parked successful the car parkland without paying and truthful received a parking charge.

"ParkingEye operates a BPA (British Parking Association) audited appeals process, which motorists tin usage to entreaty their parking charge.

"The motorist did not supply immoderate mitigating circumstances for failing to adhere to the presumption and conditions of the car parkland and their entreaty was rejected."