A tourist has been hit with an £80 fine after he paid for three hours parking but was only given a parking ticket valid for seven minutes. Doug Forbes, who is from Coventry, says he has appealed the ticket but it was rejected by Gloucester City Council.
He was visiting the city's Quays and parked at the Southgate Moorings car park - paying £2.50 for his space. This should have allowed him three hours in the area.
But on his return, around an hour and a half later, he found he had been issued with a charge notice, reports Gloucestershire Live. Mr Forbes said: “We looked at the sign and put the money in.
READ MORE: Please stop sending us Bristol Clean Air Zone fines beg couple in Sussex
"The sign said it was £2.50 for three hours. We knew it would be cheaper if we waited but we thought we weren't going to sit around and get the cheap rate. So we just put £2.50 in the machine."
“Then the ticket said it had 6.01pm on it and I thought, that must be a mistake as I’ve just paid for three hours. I didn’t think anything of it.
"We went for a meal at Bill’s and then came back about an hour and a half later to find we had got a ticket. Then, I thought I’ll appeal but they rejected it. I actually overpaid for parking. I booked for three hours. If I had waited five minutes it would have been £1.50 for the whole night until 7am in the morning. So, I overpaid and I got fined.”
Gloucester City Council has not responded to requests for comment. Previously, a spokesperson for Gloucester City Council has said: “Southgate Moorings Car Park operates two tariffs, a daytime rate until 6pm and an evening rate from 6pm until 7am. Customers can pay for both the daytime and evening rate at the same time at the machine if they intend to stay beyond 6pm.
"The ‘Just Park’ app allows customers to pay for the daytime and evening rate in one transaction for their stay.”
A tourist in Bath suffered from a similar situation. Ron Wilson was fined despite paying for parking on an app. Again he appealed the decision but his claim was also rejected.
UP NEXT:
- Bristol Clean Air Zone vehicle checker: How to find out if you have to pay
- Bristol's Clean Air Zone agreement - where the money can be spent
"I nearly died when a hair clip sliced through my scalp in car crash"
Bristol cyclist fed up with 'pointless' bike lane that drivers keep parking on
Gary Glitter thrown back into prison for using smartphone to 'ask about Dark Web'
