A MOTORIST has been fined £50 after he failed to notice a 20p parking charge was in force.

Simon Craggs, from Whitby, was slapped with a parking ticket at Kirklees Council’s Crown Bottom car park at Holmfirth.

Mr Craggs, who was passing through the Holme Valley on his way to Calderdale, says he drove into the car park via Crown Lane and did not see any “Pay and Display” sign posting.

He went into the adjacent Co-operative supermarket for a few items and returned to find he had been slapped with a parking ticket.

The car park is one of the cheapest in Kirklees.

It charges just 20p for up to 30 minutes, 40p for one hour and 60p for two hours.

But Mr Craggs, who has never used the car park before, said he had not heard of supermarket car parks being pay and display.

He said: “Having only recently moved back to UK from New Zealand I have not noticed a single supermarket in the country that has a pay and display car park – including my local Co-op supermarket in Whitby.

“As you enter the car park via Crown Lane, as we did, the main pay and display sign is facing the other way – towards the car park.

“This meant that I did not see this sign at all.

“Upon later inspection I saw that the only visible notice upon entry via Crown Lane is, in my opinion, a small and badly faded sign.

“And the only sign near where we parked is almost fully obscured, by an albeit lovely, hanging basket.”

Mr Craggs appealed his fine but it was declined.

He now says he will have to take the 50% discount offer for paying within two weeks, but says he cannot afford the fine.

He added: “If I had seen the sign, common sense would tell you that I could have afforded the 20p charge having already spent £13.51 in the Co-op.

“I have decided that I am going to pay the £25 fine and then write a letter directly to the Co-op manager.”

A spokeswoman for Kirklees Council, said: “This appeal was turned down because there are no less than seven pay and display machines plus six large blue tariff boards located throughout the Crown Bottom car park.

“There are also some ‘Have you Paid and Displayed’ signs within the car park.

“The signs are clear and legible and easy to see.”