Tesco leaves customer feeling like a 'criminal' after supermarket makes mistake that could catch anyone out

Horizon, the firm which monitors the car park, sent photographs proof of Smith's vehicle outside the Tesco Extra store in the morning and still there 10 hours later.

But the 47-year-old says that the CCTV cameras appear to have made a mistake.

She says that her partner used the car on the morning of March 20 to go purchase some groceries, and Smith then drove to the same store that evening in order to top up on petrol.

Smith said she was left in the "hideous" position of having to gather evidence to prove that the car was not parked there all day.

"We are being treated like criminals," she told KentOnline.

"There is no innocent until proven guilty.

"We have now found some proof because we use a tracking app with my eldest - so I can now show I was in Walmer. But we cannot send another appeal.

"It is bonkers, and trying to prove where we were is quite hard."

She added: "I am just really worried that this is going to happen to other people - and some people may just pay it because it is quite frightening."

Smith said that she had been "deeply disappointed" by the way the situation had been handled.

"My husband was told when he rang them 'our cameras do not lie'. We were basically accused of lying," the charity worker continued.

"We are ending up having to give up our time and energy to try and get this resolved when we did not do anything wrong.

"I am deeply disappointed in Tesco. I was their customer but I am not going to risk being their customer again."

Following publicity around the incident, Tesco has since withdrawn the fine.

A spokesperson for the supermarket said: "We are sorry to hear about this and we have ensured the charge is cancelled.”