£100 Car Park Stop Costs Mum
A woman's family trip to Weymouth was soured when she received a substantial parking ticket, even though she'd only paused briefly.
The driver, who had no idea what was coming, was in town to see her mum and dad and was looking for a decent parking spot.
The Newberry Gardens private car park (sometimes called Old Town West), situated behind Brewers Quay, has been the downfall of numerous motorists before.
Parking Eye manages the site, which uses CCTV to capture the registration numbers of vehicles as they arrive and leave.
Nicky Saliba parked up, got her kids out of the car, and then went to the payment machine, only to find out it didn't take cards.
The car park (Image: Steve Rains)
Mrs. Saliba didn't have any money with her, so she attempted to use the 'PayByPhone' system. However, the car park wasn't listed as an option on her mobile. As a result, she abandoned the effort and looked for an alternative place to park.
Car park signage (Image: Steve Rains)
Mrs. Saliba has subsequently received a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) for £100 from Parking Eye. She's also been hit with a £35 administration charge by the car rental firm she used.
Nicky Saliba and her kids.(Image: Steve Rains)
Steve Rains, her father, who witnessed her arrival at the car park, stated: "She'd come over from Qatar to spend the summer with us. We're located close to the car park, and because she couldn't locate any parking on the road, she entered the car park but couldn't make a payment, so she left. She was only in there for six minutes and got slapped with a £135 charge. I was absolutely livid."
Steve Rains and his grandkid.(Image: Steve Rains)
Mr. Rains snapped some pictures of the car park, and only afterwards did he notice a sign advertising 'Evology pay', a parking payment app.
The payment machine (Image: Steve Rains)
He stated, "I've never encountered anything called 'Evology' before; the signage gave the impression of an advertisement. During my photo-taking, my wife encountered a senior couple who had attempted to use the equipment. They found it to be faulty, and the payment system on the phone was inoperable. Consequently, they were stuck and will probably face the same penalty."
In 2024, *The Echo* newspaper stated that...One bloke reckoned a parking ticket at the very same car park completely wrecked his holiday in Weymouth. .
He spent a little over six minutes in the car park and received a £100 penalty charge.
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After the Echo reached out to Parking Eye, the company decided to cancel the fine as 'a gesture of goodwill.'
A spokesperson for Parking Eye said: “The car park at Old Town West in Weymouth is monitored by ANPR camera systems and has 17 prominent and highly-visible signs that give motorists clear guidance on how to use the car park responsibly.
“Motorists are advised that tariffs apply 24/7 and that they have the option to pay by the machine on site or via the Evology payment app.
“The motorist parked in the car park for six minutes without paying, this exceeded the consideration period and therefore led to a parking charge being issued. We would add that our systems show that the machines and the app took normal levels of transactions throughout the day.
“Parking Eye operates a BPA (British Parking Association) audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal their parking charge. Following an appeal we have cancelled the charge as a gesture of goodwill."