Littlehampton parking fines branded ‘ridiculous’ over poorly marked bays

David Clark, 55, visited his son in Littlehampton last year and parked in a space with no markings in Wick Parade on October 10.

To his surprise he received a fine for ‘parking outside of a marked bay’ – despite there being no lines around the space.

In December he discovered he had been ticketed again for the same reason just two weeks later but, as he had not received the fine notice for two months, a debt collection company was demanding £160.

David, who lives in Edinburgh, said he would have accepted one of them if he had received it on time.

“If they are going to be that strict about things, they need to be clearer with their markings and their processes – I didn’t receive anything else from them for weeks,” he said.

“They are quite happy to say ‘you haven’t paid in a week’, but not to keep their parking bays fresh.”

David was told he could appeal the £160 fine at court in Northampton, 130 miles away from the offence in Littlehampton and more than 300 miles from his home in Edinburgh.

The car park has been taken over by parking company UK Car Park Management (CPM), which has installed fresh information signs around Wick Parade.

According to David, the state of the car park was a hot topic in nearby Rosie Lee’s café, with regulars disgruntled by the changes.

The IT consultant has appealed his fines and instructed solicitors to begin legal proceedings with CPM.

“I can be a bit bloody minded and I follow things up, so I will see this through and find out what’s happened,” he said.

“It will cost more than the ticket’s worth, but it’s worth it.

“I don’t think anyone just intentionally abandons their car in the middle of two spaces. It just seems silly.

“I think it’s just a way for them to make some money.”

UK CPM was approached for comment but said it ‘would not be appropriate’ to offer a statement.

Wick Parade car park was the subject of controversy in 2018 when free parking was slashed from 24 hours to just three.