Drivers complain they are being hit with £100 fines in a Poundland car park because the store’s lorries ‘keep blocking the view of the ticket machines’

• Callum Smitherman, 23, parked behind the cut-price store in Tonbridge, Kent
• He claims he did not realise that new parking restrictions were in place
• He took a photo of lorry blocking the machines and is now refusing to pay

Callum Smitherman, 23, complained after being hit with a £100 fine in a Poundland car park because the store’s lorry ‘blocked the view of the ticket machines’

Drivers have complained after being hit with £100 fines in a Poundland car park because the store’s lorries ‘keep blocking the view of the ticket machines’.

Callum Smitherman, 23, pulled up in the car park behind the cut-price store in Tonbridge, Kent, but he did not realise that new restrictions were in place.

The fishmonger said that when he had visited previously on Sundays it had been free to park at the store.

He claims he was unable to see signs about the new charges because a Poundland lorry was parked up in front of the ticket machines as it completed its delivery.

Despite taking a picture of the obstruction, Mr Smitherman was promptly hit with a £100 fine.   

He posted a complaint on Facebook soon after receiving the penalty through the post.

He wrote: ‘Has anybody been caught out by the new ANPR system they have at Poundland car park in Tonbridge?

‘They are also parking their delivery vans in front of the not very well pointed out parking machines during trading hours which doesn’t help as they can be easily missed.

Mr Smitherman took a photo of the white lorry parked in front of the ticket machines and posted a complaint on Facebook

He pulled up in the car park at the rear entrance behind the cut-price store in Tonbridge, Kent, but he did not realise that new restrictions were in place

‘I did address the manager of Poundland on this but his response was to tell me that all his delivery vans are ANPR exempt – so it’s ok for them but obviously if your a normal customer this will be a problem.

‘It’s always been free on Sundays but recently that’s changed to a new system which has caught a lot of people out.’

Mr Smitherman, who is from the area, is now refusing to pay the fine after receiving the penalty charge notice from Euro Car Parks, which run the car park. 

Many other motorists who saw the post, including a disabled customer with a blue badge, said that they too had been caught out. 

He posted his complaint on Facebook. Many other motorists who saw the post, including a disabled customer with a blue badge, said that they too had been caught out

Chris Greenwell said he was fined £100 despite only pulling into the car park for a few seconds before driving straight out again after being recorded by the new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.   

He said: ‘I drove into the car park but couldn’t see where to pay so drove back out again – but I still got a £100 fine because of the ANPR system.

‘I went back the week after and saw the Poundland van was parked over the machines – I’m definitely not paying!’ 

The parking sign at the car park states that there are ‘no concessions for disabled badge holders’ and that charges ‘apply at all times’.

It adds that: ‘We are using cameras to capture images of vehicle number plates.’ 

A spokesman for Poundland said: ‘If this were really a problem, then we’d have more complaints than one. 

‘However we’d encourage Mr Smitherman to speak to Euro Car Parks.’

Euro Car Parks have also been contacted for comment.

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