A dad was left furious after he was forced to pay out for a parking fine after his legitimate ticket had flipped upside down.
Chris Amery from Prenton, Wirral had taken his two-young children to visit the World Museum in March this year. He paid for a pay and display ticket which he displayed on his dashboard as he left the vehicle.
When he returned to his car, which was parked on William Brown Street, he realised his ticket had accidentally flipped upside down and he had been hit with a £50 fine by a parking warden.
READ MORE: Government confirms expanded takeover of Liverpool City Council
Chris, who works in the NHS, said: "Clearly this was an innocent mistake as the ticket I purchased was valid until 1.35pm and me and my two children returned to the car to drive home following our visit to the World Museum at around 1.20pm.
"I accept that the ticket must have flipped over on the dashboard - presumably while shutting the car door at the same time as ensuring the roadside safety of my two young children (aged four and five at the time) - it was clearly not a deliberate act. Why would anyone with a valid parking ticket deliberately display it upside down?"
Chris said he understands why he was given a Penalty Charge Notice because the parking warden won't have been able to see that he had purchased a valid ticket. What he could not understand was the "dogged" pursuit of the £50 fine by Liverpool City Council after he had "provided evidence of a valid ticket."
In the end, he paid the fine because of the threat of a larger charge if he didn't cough up on time. He said he was concerned about cost of living pressures and could not afford to pay a bigger fine. But he challenged the decision through the council's appeals process.
The 42-year-old said: "I was taken aback that Liverpool City Council refused to overturn it and I'm confident that any sensible person would consider any "contravention" here a technicality."
A frustrated Chris then decided to carry out some of his own research. Using Freedom of Information laws he was able to ascertain that the city council has cancelled more than 3,000 parking fines since October 2020 due to drivers providing evidence of a valid pay and display ticket - which is precisely what he did.
Chris added: "Throughout the council's appeals procedure, I repeatedly provided evidence that I had (and continue to retain) a valid pay and display ticket bought on the day. Yet contrary to the 3,000+ cases in which this resulted in a cancellation, Liverpool City Council repeatedly told me they could "find no reason to exercise discretion favourably".
"I have since raised this with my MP and lodged a formal complaint with the Council. I feel cheated. It's a matter of basic fairness. Why is my case being treated so differently to thousands of others?"
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “Anyone who receives a parking ticket can appeal to the council. If they are unsuccessful they can take it to the independent Traffic Penalty Tribunal.”
READ NEXT:
Dying man's final act was to send a Snapchat selfie to friends
Snapchat pervert sent vile 'spanking' messages to '12-year-old girl'
