Motorists fined £100 for using free car park

Confusing signs and hefty fines have left shoppers fuming in one Hampshire town. New parking charges in Totton have left drivers baffled – and many have been slapped with £100 penalty fines.

Deceptive signs at Totton Retail Park, in Commercial Road, declare free parking for 90 minutes. But motorists must still display a free ticket from the pay and display machines in their vehicle.

Drivers who have been hit with the steep fine have complained, claiming the signs are unclear. Signs state the first 90 minutes of parking is free at the site.



But small print underneath states a parking ticket is still needed to show what time you arrived.

Candy Porter, 46, from Totton, was stung within five minutes of arriving. She said: “I’ve got two children and £100 is a significant amount of money – that’s a week’s shopping for my family, it’s ridiculous.”

Meanwhile, Clare Collins, 28, from Shirley, was also caught out by the quick work of the car park attendant. “I saw that it said you get 90 minutes free, I even saw the attendant watch me walk into the shop,” she said. “There were crowds of people getting angry about it. It’s saying that you have to get a ticket, even to park there for free.”