Norwich pensioner handed £100 fine at Hall Road Retail Park

Barry Ridley had stopped at the Hall Road Retail Park in Tuckswood to meet friends at the cafe in Aldiss and parked in a row of bays which he claims were almost completely empty. 

Running late, Barry quickly parked and headed inside. When he returned, he said the bays were still empty and it did not appear that he was far over the white lines. 

But several weeks later he received a fine in the post of £100, no small sum for a pensioner in his 80s. 

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"I immediately queried the charge and received a letter saying I was badly parked and the charge would stand," he said.

Barry disputed the fine but it was refused by UK Parking Control (Image: Google Maps)

"If I paid it within two weeks it would be reduced to £60 but if I disputed it then they would add £40 on and for any further delays they would add another £70 every so many weeks.

"I wonder if all shopping car parks make it an offence to park on the white lines."

The charge was issued by UK Parking Control, a private enforcement company which uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to monitor and enforce parking.

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In response to Barry's dispute, it said: "We have carefully considered your appeal based on the information provided and the evidence supporting the parking charge.

Hall Road Retail Park in Tuckswood (Image: Google Maps)

"In this instance having completed our assessment, we consider the parking charge to have been correctly issued, as the vehicle was not parked correctly in the bay markings."

Barry added: "It appears I will have to pay the fine but I don't think I will be going there again."