£170 parking fines at Aldi
BIG brother-style cameras in a Hoddesdon car park are driving much needed shoppers out of town.
An unemployed man and a pensioner are among several victims who have pledged never to return to Aldi in Fawkon Walk after being slapped with £170 parking fines!
Several local shoppers have been hit by the extreme parking rules at the newly-opened store.
This week there were calls for the private firm operating the Aldi car park to be taken to task for their "exorbitant" charges and for the budget supermarket chain to rethink its parking regulations.
Jobless Andrew Wilson, 29, of Paddick Close, was fined for parking in Aldi late at night - when he just went to look through the store window!
And Enfield pensioner Josephine Ward was fined for being 30 minutes late back to her car, despite being INSIDE Aldi at the time spending £80 on shopping!
In separate cases, a disabled man and an elderly shopper were also given tickets - although Aldi bosses say they have now quashed their fines.
The car park is owned by Aldi and managed by north London-based Creative Car Park Management (CCPM).
Chairman of the Hoddesdon Town Centre Initiative, Kevin Brooks, said the charges were detrimental to enticing shoppers to Hoddesdon.
The car park allows 90 minutes' free parking providing motorists are visiting Aldi.
Cameras record the number plate of every car entering and leaving the car park and "overstaying" motorists are hunted down and fined by operators, Creative Car Park Management (CCPM).
Jobless Mr Wilson said: "I didn't know I had done anything wrong until a demand for £170 landed on the mat two weeks later.
"The car park was open, so I drove in for all of 15 minutes. I've had to borrow money from my parents to pay the fine."
Mrs Ward, 61, said: "I've paid the ticket because I'm worried bailiffs will come round if I don't.
"This was the first time I had ever been to Hoddesdon and I will never come back."
Broxbourne MP Charles Walker said he would be writing to the chief executive of Aldi.
After being contacted by the Mercury, Aldi area manager Steve Dear, said the firm would erect larger notices at the car park entrance to inform motorists of the rules.
"We don't make a penny from parking ourselves," said Mr Dear. "We don't want genuine shoppers to be put off and we will press CCPM to reimburse anyone who is wrongly fined."
An unemployed man and a pensioner are among several victims who have pledged never to return to Aldi in Fawkon Walk after being slapped with £170 parking fines!
Several local shoppers have been hit by the extreme parking rules at the newly-opened store.
This week there were calls for the private firm operating the Aldi car park to be taken to task for their "exorbitant" charges and for the budget supermarket chain to rethink its parking regulations.
Jobless Andrew Wilson, 29, of Paddick Close, was fined for parking in Aldi late at night - when he just went to look through the store window!
And Enfield pensioner Josephine Ward was fined for being 30 minutes late back to her car, despite being INSIDE Aldi at the time spending £80 on shopping!
In separate cases, a disabled man and an elderly shopper were also given tickets - although Aldi bosses say they have now quashed their fines.
The car park is owned by Aldi and managed by north London-based Creative Car Park Management (CCPM).
Chairman of the Hoddesdon Town Centre Initiative, Kevin Brooks, said the charges were detrimental to enticing shoppers to Hoddesdon.
The car park allows 90 minutes' free parking providing motorists are visiting Aldi.
Cameras record the number plate of every car entering and leaving the car park and "overstaying" motorists are hunted down and fined by operators, Creative Car Park Management (CCPM).
Jobless Mr Wilson said: "I didn't know I had done anything wrong until a demand for £170 landed on the mat two weeks later.
"The car park was open, so I drove in for all of 15 minutes. I've had to borrow money from my parents to pay the fine."
Mrs Ward, 61, said: "I've paid the ticket because I'm worried bailiffs will come round if I don't.
"This was the first time I had ever been to Hoddesdon and I will never come back."
Broxbourne MP Charles Walker said he would be writing to the chief executive of Aldi.
After being contacted by the Mercury, Aldi area manager Steve Dear, said the firm would erect larger notices at the car park entrance to inform motorists of the rules.
"We don't make a penny from parking ourselves," said Mr Dear. "We don't want genuine shoppers to be put off and we will press CCPM to reimburse anyone who is wrongly fined."
posted by Neil Herron at 1:07 PM
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