parking

[chassyp]

Can united utilities enforce a parking charge on a car park?? A local lake which has a footpath around it, has just had a pay and display machine fitted in the car park!! There are no parking bays or anything! Do they have any powers to clamp etc if we dont pay?? The car park in question is not new or anything. I have parked on it to walk as others have for over 35 years.

[Ethel]

It can't be enforced in the way a council or police issued Fixed Penalty Notice can - the ticket is simply an invoice which must be pursued in the civil courts if the recipient refuses to pay.

They would have to prove:
Who was driving
There was a breach of contract - the driver knew he (or she) had to pay

My local park, with fishing lake, has a pay and display car park, unfortunately operated by the council.

There are letter templates on the internet should you wish to challenge such a ticket.

Usually it is too much trouble, and too expensive, for them to chase it up if you refuse to pay

[up4it]

As Ethel has said, if it is not a council run car park the fine you get is only an invoice and is non-enforcable

They may decide to take you to court but they could only sue for the parking charge you would have paid which means they would need exact times of when and how long you parked there

e.g. if the parking is say �1 per hour and you parked there for 2 hours without paying. If you get a fine saying you owe �50 as you didn't pay just ignore it as they could only ever sue you for the �2 you would have had to pay to stay there

They are really not going to take you to court for �2 it is just not worth their time and money

My advice going forward is park there as much as you want without paying (providing there are no clamping signs up) and everytime they give you a parking fine, just ignore it!!!

When you have collected quite a few of these and they start writting snotty letters to you, use one of the standard letters back to them (can be found on the net), telling them to go away or you will have them done for harrassment

[LeMarchand]

Depending on why they have decided to charge - if it's to keep the parking area free for employees or the like, then if no-one pays they may consider clamping instead.

Not having seen the area, it's hard to comment (but I will ;o) and suggest that you have had years of free car parking by using private land. How would you feel if someone used your garden (if you have one) to leave their motorbike when they went for a walk?

[chassyp]

Sorry wrong answer!! Try again.