A recruitment company boss is being pursued for a £60 parking charge even though the car was parked up five miles away at the time.
Mike Turner, of Huddersfield-based recruitment consultancy Prodigium Group, was incensed to receive a parking charge for supposedly parking all night at the Leeds Road Retail Park.
Liverpool-based car park operators Civil Enforcement Ltd claimed the company’s Ford Ranger was parked up for around 23 hours between June 2 and 3.
Mr Turner’s colleague Jon Caruso, who is managing director, had used the Ford to visit the B&Q store on the retail park – but hadn’t stopped for long.
“If we were in the wrong I would pay this,” said Mr Turner.
“Paying this fine would be an admission of guilt and we not guilty. It is the principle.”
He said the Ford Ranger had actually been parked overnight in Norristhorpe, about five miles away. It is fitted with a tracker which can prove this was the case.
Mr Turner has appealed online against the fine but has noted that the charge will rise to £100 as the enforcement company considers the appeal.
He says the cameras which picked up the car’s registration plate do not appear to be accurate.
“I want to know how their system works. I am 100% sure that it is not accurate. We would never park the Ford Ranger in a retail park overnight.”
Mr Turner says the enforcement letter has put him off shopping at the retail park.
“Personally I would rather go to Wickes in future if I am going to get ticketed at the Leeds Road Retail Park.”
Mr Turner is the latest in a long list of complaints about unfair parking fines at the retail park.
Several people have fought the fines and won.
Linda Johnson from Mirfield was pursued for money for more than 12 months for exceeding the three-hour car parking limit – even though she had only driven through the car park.
She found out the charge had been cancelled from the office of Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff who had taken up her case and written to the parking firm.
And Huddersfield Town fan Mark Taylor, whose wife dropped him off at the retail park, refused to pay a £100 charge and the parking enforcement firm eventually backed down after he asked to see his file and all evidence under the Data Protection Act.
The Examiner has previously tried to contact Civil Enforcement Ltd but has been unable to do so.
