Drivers in Southern England have been left angry over harsh penalties for parking with some motorists fined for spending as little as six minutes in a car park.
St Anthony's car park on Battery Road in Penzance, Cornwall, has recently changed providers with drivers now facing the risk of hefty fines.
In one case, a driver was fined £100 for spending less than 10 minutes in a car park without buying a ticket despite being in line with the “penalty-free dwell time” window.
The new charges come after Cornwall Council allocated the parking rights to Jubilee Pool to help it raise funds.
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St Anthony's car park has been gifted to the Jubilee Pool
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The pool has since outsourced management of the car park to private enforcement company - Parkingeye - although the move has only left more drivers with harsh fines.
In one case, someone shared on social media: "I was in this car park last week and tried to pay using the app which it clearly advertises all around, but my phone could not get a signal so I left and parked in the Greenmarket car park. I have just got a fine for being in a space for seven minutes trying to get a signal to pay!"
Someone else claimed: "My wife recently drove in there to collect my daughter from the bathing pool. She didn’t leave the car but didn’t buy a ticket.
"Yesterday we received a parking charge notice for £100. Reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days of the parking date. The charge was sent out 14 days after the parking date making it impossible to pay within 14 days."
Offering advice to drivers, someone else suggested talking to the swimming pool reception staff who may be able to cancel tickets if they were only used for a few minutes waiting.
“Normally these systems have a short time for pickups and drop offs as long as it wasn't over 20 minutes then it becomes questionable,” the person claimed.
However, another local suggested: “Unfortunately, even if you are in the car, you are still considered parked if idle in a space.
“You will be able to argue, the increased charge, but not the parking fine. I found this out from a traffic warden, when parked up once, had a Google to double check, and unfortunately, he was right, as ridiculous as it is.”
Another person, who was less sympathetic to the fine said: “So you used the facilities at the car park then you didn’t pay and now you’re complaining you got a fine!!!! What a big crybaby!!!”
A spokesperson for Jubilee Pool told GB News: "As soon as we became aware of this issue we requested that Parkingeye extend the 'penalty free dwell time' to 10 minutes.
"They agreed to do this back in June, and so these PCN's should not be being issued. We have asked Parkingeye to cancel any PCN issued in this regard and refund anyone who has already paid a fine as a result.
"We request that any affected drivers raise concerns directly to Parkingeye as it is beyond our control."
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PAA Parkingeye spokesperson told GB News: “The car park at St Anthony’s in Penzance features nine prominent and highly-visible signs throughout providing information on how to use the car park responsibly. This includes guidance on how tariffs apply Monday to Sunday from 9am to 4pm and that motorists can pay at the user-friendly machine or through the JustPark payment app.
"To ensure users of the car park have time to read the signs and decide whether to stay or leave there is a reasonable consideration period which has been recently increased from five to ten minutes at the request of our client, the Friends of Jubilee Pool. We can also confirm that all parking charges incurred under the previous five minute consideration period have been cancelled.
"Parkingeye operates a British Parking Association audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal their Parking Charge. If anyone has mitigating circumstances we would encourage them to appeal."
Opened in 1935, the Jubilee Pool is a triangular public pool with a depth of 2.25m, which fluctuates with the tides. The main pool temperature is typically a few degrees higher than the surrounding sea.
