A man has claimed ‘a victory for the small man’ after winning a bid to overturn a £4.50 parking ticket.

Andrew Mogridge had gone up against Britannia Parking in court after being ‘stung’ by the charge.

His David versus Goliath-esque battle was spurred after a visit to the Wentworth Street car park in Peterborough’s city centre.

Andrew had attempted to pay a £4.50 ticket until a faulty machine caused problems.

He told the Peterborough Telegraph: ’The car park was a pay as you exit, rather than pay as you arrive.

‘As I left the car park, I tried to pay the £4.50 using my phone, and two credit cards, but the machine was not working.

‘Like many people, I didn’t have any cash on me at the time. I went and got some cash, went to Asda so I could have the correct change, and came back to the car park.

‘But by that point it had gone up to asking me for £6.50 – which I didn’t have.

‘I went home and phoned them up, and I was told to pay online – and when I tried to do that, it had gone up to £7.50.’

The incident took place four years ago but only now passed through the courts.

Andrew had decided against paying the risen charge, because the machine being broken was not his fault, he said.

He added: ‘It was a victory for the small man. I know lots of people have been stung by machines that are not working in Peterborough.’

A spokesman for Britannia Parking said they could not comment on individual cases, but changed had been made due to a shift towards card payments.

They told the Peterborough Telegraph: ‘Britannia Parking is a responsible car park operator and manager of more than 30 years’ standing and we take our responsibilities very seriously.

‘Whilst we cannot comment on individual circumstances, following the pandemic there has been a large shift towards card payments and as a result we installed new pay on arrival payment machines in October 2020 that accept card payments only along with offering the Pay By Phone and pay-online services.

‘We encourage all motorists to make themselves familiar with the terms and conditions of our car parks.

‘We are a member of the British Parking Association and operate strictly in accordance with the industry’s Approved Operators Code of Conduct.’

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