A dad was left fuming after being forced to pay a parking fine - after his valid ticket flipped upside down. Chis Amery had driven his two young children for a day out at the World Museum in Liverpool in March this year.
After purchasing a pay and display ticket on William Brown Street, he put the parking card on the dashboard and left his car. However, when he later returned to the vehicle, he realised that the ticket had fallen over - leaving him with a £50 charge from a parking warden, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Chris, from Prenton, Wirral, 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?"
The NHS worker said he understands that the parking warden had issued the Penalty Charge Notice after not being able to see the legitimate ticket left in the vehicle. However, what he couldn't get his head around was the "dogged" pursuit of the £50 penalty by Liverpool City Council after he had "provided evidence of a valid ticket."
He ended up begrudgingly paying the charge after being threatened with a significantly larger fine if he didn't respond in time. The parent said that with the current cost of living pressures, he was worried that he would not be able to afford the increased penalty.
However, he has since 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."
An exasperated Chris then decided to look into the issue further. Using Freedom of Information laws, he found that the city council has cancelled over 3,000 parking fines since October 2020 after motorists were able to provide evidence of a valid pay and display ticket - which is exactly what he did.
Chris continued: "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.”
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