A MAN who was fined after using a car park in Rhyl said he was “amazed” to receive his penalty charge notice (PCN) and initially “thought it was a scam”.

John Roberts, 65, from Greenfield, said he parked at Morfa Hall car park, on Church Street, on June 24, paying £2 for three hours’ parking.

Despite documentation stating he parked there at 1.13pm and left at 1.47pm, Mr Roberts said he has nonetheless been told to pay a fine by Smart Parking Ltd, the company operating Morfa Hall car park.

Mr Roberts, who parked his Citroen vehicle there while he went shopping, said he would like an apology from the company.

His fine will be of £60 if he pays it within 14 days of receiving the PCN; otherwise, it will rise to £100.

He said: “I thought it was a scam. I’ve appealed online, but I’ve no idea why they did this.

“If they have CCTV there, surely they’d see my parking ticket on my car dashboard, or me walking to the machine to pay.

“I was told a PCN had been issued because my vehicle ‘failed to pay for the sufficient time at Morfa Hall’.

“I want an apology. I was amazed.”

Morfa Hall car park has been run by Smart Parking Ltd since November 2018.

But across numerous articles since the start of 2023, the Journal has reported residents complaining of various issues with the car park, including:

  • Parking fine tickets being issued automatically based on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.
  • Its positioning adjacent to the disability parking at Rhyl Library, which is operated by Denbighshire County Council.
  • Faulty ticket machines.

Residents have previously accused Smart Parking to the Journal of being "greedy" and handing out "unfair" fines.

READ MORE:

Rhyl car park operators accused of ‘brutal bullying tactics’ by fined residents

Man won’t re-use Rhyl car park as ‘unfair’ fine ‘ruined my children’s holiday’

Survey set up regarding Rhyl car park accused of being ‘greedy’ and ‘unfair’

In response to Mr Roberts’ comments, a Smart Parking spokesperson said: “Smart Parking were brought into manage the car park at Morfa Hall to stop parking abuse and to ensure people are treated equally. 

“At the car park, there are numerous signs that clearly set out the terms and conditions of use, and we would remind any motorist that when driving into the car park to read these before deciding to park.

“Smart Parking are members of the British Parking Association (BPA) and strictly follow all its guidelines. 

“We are proud to operate a BPA audited appeals service, and would encourage any motorist who feels they have been charged incorrectly by us to contact us directly.

“In the case of Mr Roberts, he has appealed, and our appeals team are currently investigating his case. 

“Once our investigation is complete, we will write to Mr Roberts with the outcome of his appeal.”