I’m being taken to court over a B&M Bargains parking fine – but I knew nothing about it
A DRIVER could be hauled to court over a parking fine he knew nothing about.
Craig Mell claims the ticket machine at his local B&M was out of order when he went to buy one six months ago - but debt collectors have just sent him a letter out of the blue demanding £160.
He said he took a photo of the sign claiming "parking machine out of order, no parking charges apply today" on July 17, 2021, in case he ever needed to dispute any fines.
But months went by and Craig believed he was in the clear.
That was until earlier this month when a baffling letter arrived threatening legal action.
It said he had two weeks to pay the £160 penalty or the matter will be taken to court.
Craig said he has tried calling parking company G24 Ltd, which operates the lot at Cavendish Retail Park in Keighley, West Yorkshire, numerous times but has failed to get through to anyone.
Craig told : "I haven't lived in Keighley for very long but I had seen people always getting parking tickets from that car park.
"All of them have the same problem as me. The machine is not working, then six months down the line, getting a bloody letter from a debt collector.
"I always take a picture of the machine when it's out of order to make sure I can prove that it isn't working, just in case.
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"If I had received a letter from the car park, I would have sorted it out straight away.
"It's even worse that when I got this letter, they are trying to say that I can't dispute it anymore."
The Sun has contacted G24 Ltd for comment.
Is it illegal to ignore a parking charge notice?
Ignoring a parking charge notice issued by a private company is not strictly illegal, as it has not been issued by a government official.
However, when parking on private land, the driver and the landowner or parking management company enter an unwritten contract, and the terms must be clearly displayed and easy to understand.
By ignoring a parking charge issued by a private company, you are in breach of contract, as opposed to the law, which could still have strict consequences.
The good news is you can only be fined the fixed amount stated on the invoice for a parking charge notice.
The bad news is you could be taken to court for ignoring or refusing to pay for the private parking charge - and have to fork out for any legal fees incurred.
You could also be left with a criminal charge for breaching your contract under extreme circumstances.
It is not uncommon for parking fines to be overturned following a successful appeals process.
You can challenge a parking fine by appealing directly to the parking operator that issued your parking charge notice and detail the reasons why you consider it to be unfair within 28 days.