Car park operator NCP has apologised and quashed all incorrectly applied fines after a Darlington grandad was incorrectly asked to cough up £100 for a 14-minute stay.
Tony and Antoinette Colmer, from Piercebridge, were left furious this month after a trip to the town’s Barker and Stonehouse store landed them with a parking charge notice.
The couple received a letter from NCP two weeks after their visit - despite signs at the Beaumont Street store saying parking was free for customers for 90 minutes.
NCP eventually apologised and cancelled their fine - saying an “incorrectly set up camera system” had caused the issue - but grandad-of-two Tony was still concerned, questioning how many people had been caught out by the problem.
Now, the car park operator, which took over the site last month, has confirmed it has cancelled all fines with a length of stay of less than 90 minutes.
It said the grace period on the ANPR camera was set up incorrectly, and has written to all affected to inform them of the cancellation, or a refund if they have already paid.
The full statement said: “NCP took over this site in January and during the ANPR camera set up the grace period was set incorrectly.
“This resulted in anyone that hadn’t paid being issued with Parking Charge Notices(PCN’s), whereas normally only people who stay longer than 90 minutes should receive a PCN.
“This was our mistake, and as soon as we were made aware of the issue we cancelled all PCNs with a length of stay less than 90 minutes, and our team are writing to all affected to inform them of the cancellation, or a refund if they have already paid.
“We apologise sincerely for any inconvenience and worry this has caused.”
Tony, 70, and Antoinette, 82, had visited the store to buy a new chair when the incident took place, and, after struggling to find what they wanted, left none the wiser.
The former newsagent said his wife let out a “shriek” when they first received the letter, having never been fined for anything in their lives.
He said: “I feel sorry for the Barker and Stonehouse manager because he has been trying his best.
“The manager has been caught in the crossfire, and has done what I consider to be as much as he can. But It also impacts on their store going forward because of how many people have been caught out.”
A Barker and Stonehouse spokesperson said: "Barker and Stonehouse is aware of recent reports regarding car park fines being wrongly issued at its Darlington store and would like to clarify that this car park is managed by NCP, not by Barker and Stonehouse directly.
Read More:
- Two officers return to work after Middlesbrough dog attack
- Stanhope Park Vets announces closure of Duke Street site
-
Air ambulance lands in Croft, Darlington, following incident
"However, upon being made aware of the issue, Barker and Stonehouse took immediate action to assist affected customers.
"Where possible, the business reached out directly to customers who had received these fines to inform them that the penalties were issued in error, advising them that the tickets would be retracted and explaining they would receive letters from NCP to confirm this.
"Barker and Stonehouse has also raised the matter with NCP to ensure this situation is addressed and does not happen again in the future."
Share