Mum-of-two fined £185 after overstaying time in car park by TWO SECONDS
Woman ignored fine and was presented with bill in court a year on
A MOTHER has been hit with a £185 fine after overstaying her parking time for just TWO seconds - but should she have been let off?
Liz Taylor's return to the free car park was delayed because her son needed his nappy changed - a stop off that has proved costly.
She had parked her Skoda Citigo at the free Castlegate Retail Park Car Park in, St John's Road, Huddersfield, while she went shopping in Laura Ashley last October 8.
She thought she would have plenty of time, until her two-year-old son Zac Yates needed his nappy changed.
Liz returned to her car after two-hours-ten-minutes-and-two-seconds.
Crucially, two seconds outside the 10 minute grace period.
Liz told : “A week later I got a letter from ParkingEye Ltd demanding £85 discounted to £50 if I paid within 14 days."
Liz continued: "New legislation means motorists are allowed a ten minute period of grace on top of the permitted two hours.
"So this meant I was just two seconds over.”
The car park is regulated by an automatic, photographic numberplate recognition system and Liz has argued that the time margin is so slim that the fine should be dismissed as the technology may not be exact.
Initially Liz did not respond to the fines sent but almost a year later had to attend Huddersfield County Court where she was told to pay £185 - more than a week's salary on her part time wage.
She added: “I just don’t think it’s fair especially as I made every effort to get back and out of the car park on time. And how do you know that their cameras are accurate to two seconds?”
Liz's experience has been dividing the opinions of Sun Online readers - take part in our poll below.
Last week Sun Online revealed that the driver of a £400,000 rose gold Lamborghini would rather pay a parking fine than risk leaving his beloved motor in a public car park.
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