I was fined £100 after I tried to pay THREE times for parking – I won’t give in

A PENSIONER has vowed to fight a £100 fine after he tried to pay three times for a car park spot before giving up in disgust and leaving.

Lizo Ngqobongwana, 67, believed his situation was “grossly unfair” after he was charged for parking in a Lido car park in Cliftonville, Kent.

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The retired boss was not able to pay for parking and received error messages after trying to do it by machine.

He left in frustration as he tried to find somewhere else to leave his car but later received a park charge notice in the post.

Ngqobongwana, who used to run a firm which created finance software for the NHS, is refusing to back down.

He said: “I drove into the Lido Car Park, parked my car in a designated parking bay and went to look at the large notice board with the payment instructions.

“The Lido Car Park instructions were different and I was directed to send my vehicle registration to a five digit number and follow further instructions.

“After trying to follow the instructions on three occasions and getting error messages I gave up in frustration and left the car park to search for alternative parking.

“Not long after, I received a Parking Charge Notice for £100 in the post. I immediately appealed providing evidence of my repeated attempts to pay. However, I received the devastating news that my appeal was unsuccessful.

“I believe charging me £100 (£60 if paid within 14 days) for being in a car park trying to pay for parking is grossly unfair and unjust and intend to challenge this charge because this reminds me of the days when unscrupulous companies used to clamp motorists and demand cash payments to release them.”

The 67-year-old added that he thought the fine was “tantamount to extortion”.

The Lido car park is operated by Parking Eye Ltd.

A spokesperson for the company said: “The car park at the Lido in Cliftonville is monitored by ANPR camera systems and has prominent and highly-visible signs throughout providing guidance on how to use the car park responsibly. Visitors have the option to pay by phone or by using one of two user-friendly machines.

“The motorist didn’t make any payment for his parking and therefore received a parking charge notice. Our records show that on three occasions guidance to successfully pay was sent by text on how to pay by phone and the payment machines took transactions successfully during this timeframe.

“Parking Eye operates a BPA (British Parking Association) audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal their Parking Charge Notice. If anyone has mitigating circumstances, we would encourage them to highlight this by appealing.”