Drivers slapped with £70 fines after ‘fake parking attendants charged them £10 to park on street’
DRIVERS have been hit with £70 fines after one claimed they were charged £10 by fake parking attendants.
Tom Coulton, 37, and his partner from Wigan, Greater Manchester, drove 20 miles to Victoria Warehouse near Old Trafford to see neo soul act Jungle on September 17.
Because they had never been to the Stretford venue before, the couple decided to follow other vehicles also attending the gig.
Tom said they came across some yellow metal parking signs, with lots of cars going in the same direction.
Other drivers appeared to be handing over cash to two men who were wearing yellow high-visibility jackets, and appeared to be directing people to park on the pavement.
Tom said: "We paid a tenner I think it was and paid the cash directly to one of the men."
He says they were instructed to park on Pomona Strand - around a ten-minute walk from the venue - but weren't given a parking ticket or any proof of purchase.
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Tom had a "gut feeling" that something may not be right, so decided to film the so-called attendants on his phone.
He said: "I thought for my own protection I am just going to video these guys. If there is something dodgy I don't want to get shafted.
"We went to the gig and everything was fine. Everyone else was coming out and collecting their cars."
Tom went home and thought nothing of the matter, until last Thursday when he received a £70 parking fine from Trafford Council.
The letter said he had parked on double yellow lines illegally and had failed to pay the reduced amount in the 14-day grace period.
Tom said: "A letter came through from Trafford Council with the parking charge and the exact time and date from the gig.
"They said we had ignored the first notice and had 14 days to pay the full amount.
"But I hadn't received a letter which makes me think the parking person from the council has come along and put tickets on the cars and the men have removed them to remove any suspicion.
"We have contested the fine online but haven’t heard anything back yet."
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Tom said he has since reported the incident to Greater Manchester Police and has been issued with a crime reference number.
He said it had "angered him" and he believes the men involved will have made a few hundred pounds from the evening.
Tom said: "It was quite a long road and there were lots of other cars parking there too - maybe around 100.
"They were wearing high-visibility jackets but they didn't say anything on them.
"It's angered me so much."
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A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: "The Council did carry out parking enforcement action on Pomona Strand on this date concerning vehicles parked on double yellow lines.
"We will respond to appeals once they have been reviewed and will re-offer the discounted payment amount where necessary.
"It is illegal for anyone to take cash for parking on a public highway and the Council would advise anyone who writes in to report this to Greater Manchester Police."
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In a further statement, the spokesperson added: "The Council has received emails that refer to people being asked to pay cash to park on the public highway.
"This is a matter for Greater Manchester Police and should be reported to GMP."
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