Parking fine leaps to £672 nightmare

Swindon Advertiser
By Anthony Osborne


Facing a fine Mike Larby


A MAN who bought a parking ticket four years ago has seen his £1 charge turn into a £672 fine.
Mike Larby, 48, from Ashton Keynes, who works as a mechanical transport engineer at RAF Lyneham, was convalescing after kidney treatment four years ago.
He had been on holiday in the New Forest when he decided to travel into Southampton and visit a newly opened shopping mall in the city.
After asking several attendants what the charge was, he paid £1 for parking. But that day has come back to haunt him.
"I remember the day well," said Mike.
"We had parked up but it wasn't all that clear what we should pay, so I asked a couple of attendants.
"They said they weren't sure but said they believed it was £1 until noon.
"So we went to look around the place and, as it got closer to noon, I was getting anxious about the car, so we went back.
"When I got there, there was an attendant stood next to the car.
"I asked him if I was still alright and he said if I left within a few minutes it would be fine, so we did and that was that.
"I never really thought anything of it again until a year later when I got a letter saying I had a £90 fine.
"It was completely out of the blue, so I contacted them, explained what had happened and they told me to send a letter explaining it and a copy of the ticket which I did and I heard nothing back.
But a year later, it happened again, so Mike said he explained to them again.
Nothing more was heard until earlier this year when he began receiving letters from a bailiff's agency in Northampton - and the price was going up as well.
Soon it had reached more than £400 and last month a letter requesting £672.43 came through the post box.
"I can't believe how a £1 ticket in a car park has managed to spiral out of proportion like this," said Mike.
"It has just snowballed, if I had parked wrongly I would have paid the fine.
"I was told I was okay so I don't understand why this has happened, I just feel totally persecuted, and £672 is a lot of money."
Bailiffs have visited the house to try to re-claim the value of the fine but have not been successful.
Mike is now in touch with the Wiltshire Law Centre to find out how the situation can be sorted out.
No one from Southampton City Council was available for comment.