Pensioner fined £100 for stopping to get petrol at ‘rip-off’ East Midlands Airport fuel station
A MAN has been hit with a £100 parking fine after filling up his car at a notorious East Midlands Airport petrol station.
Paul Hayes, from Ratby, was on his way back from a family meal when he was slapped with the controversial fine that has been dished out to at least four unlucky drivers this summer.
On his way home from the meal in July, the 69-year-old needed to fill his car with petrol and the closest place to do so was the petrol station at the airport.
Mr Hayes explained: "I had filled up the car with petrol and we went into the shop.
"I came out and moved forward, to let the person behind me in, because they were queueing.
"My passenger came out about two minutes later, and someone in a van had taken a picture of me getting in the car."
Later that day he received the £100 fine.
He said: "I wasn't parking up at the airport, so basically they've had me for filling up with petrol
"This is ridiculous, I'm very angry, a couple of years ago I had a heart attack and a cardiac arrest, I'm supposed to stay calm but this isn't helping me."
He said he appealed the parking fine given by the company called Vehicle Control Services Ltd (VCS Ltd) but received a notification that his appeal had been rejected.
VCS Ltd has now told LeicestershireLive the fine will be dropped.
The spokesman said: "Mr Hayes' vehicle had stopped in a prohibited "no stopping" area of the fuel station.
"However, after reviewing the circumstances we have accepted his appeal; we will formally confirm our decision to Mr Hayes."
The company did not confirm the exact reasons why the charge was dropped or why the first appeal was rejected.
He is not the first person to be slapped with this unfair fine at the petrol station.
Earlier this month a couple were given a £60 parking fine as they were filling up.
Sharon and Geoffrey Palmer, both 69, had stopped off for petrol before being dropped off at the airport's rapid drop-off zone.
A stunned 77-year-old also received a controversial fine of £100 this month when he stopped to fill up his car at the airport.
Terry Tunnicliffe, 77, had planned to drop his pal at East Midlands Airport's drop-off area but when he stopped for petrol his passenger got out to walk the rest of the way.
But in response to Mr Tunnicliffe's complaints, a representative from Vehicle Control Services Ltd who issued the fine said: "There is signage at the fuel pumps warning motorists that there is 'Strictly No Drop Off or Pick Up at the Fuel Pumps'.
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"By his own admission, Mr Tunnicliffe dropped off an airport passenger whilst refuelling.
"Should he chose to do so, Mr Tunnicliffe has the option to utilise our appeals procedure, details of which are set out on the reverse of the Parking Charge Notice."
The Sun Online makes sense of parking rules and fines here.
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