21 June 2023 , 17:57
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A taxi driver has been slapped with a £100 fine for staying too long in a garage car park when a delivery truck blocked him in.
Leonard Egbedi, 43, was taking a client some 220 miles to Lewisham, south east London, from Manchester when he stopped to wash his car at the Shell garage on May 13.
When his car was washed he tried to leave, but the exit was blocked by a delivery lorry so Leonard and other vehicles lined up waiting for the truck to move so they could exit.
By the time Leonard had washed his car and waited for the lorry to move, he had “parked longer than the maximum period allowed” and so received a PCN for £104 in the post.
Leonard said he was shocked to receive the fine as “there were no obvious signs".
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He said: "I couldn't see any suggestion there was a limit. If there was any sign it should be on the machine. It is very stressful, read the reviews on Google, you will weep. I hope other people don't fall victim to this.
“I just hope someone in government sees this situation and decides to take action, because this has got to change. It's not right."
Euro Car Parks gave Leonard 14 days to pay the discounted fine of £60 before the full amount of £100 would be owed.
Leonard has appealed the fine, and tried to contact Euro Car Parks, but he says they are “unreachable".
He added: "You can’t reply back to their emails, it is just blocked.”
But appealing the fine has meant Leonard missed the 14-day period and if it reaches the maximum 28 days to pay, Euro Car Parks said they can “pursue you for the parking fine”.
Other customers of the Lewisham Shell garage have shared a similar experience, with one Google reviewer commenting “be careful, I used their power wash and other facilities and got a PCN from Euro Car Parks”.
Mr Egbedi wants to see the government take action to stop private companies from targeting customers in this way.
Euro Car Parks has been approached for comment.