'I was slapped with £100 parking fine as I dropped off charity donations'
A woman who had been donating to a charity shop was hit with a £100 parking fine as she returned to her car after dropping off her wares.
Rachel Woodward, 53, had been emptying out the contents of her garage earlier this month when she decided to donate some of her items to a charity shop in Lancashire.
Rachel told Lancashire Live that she had barely been gone two minutes before parking officers handed out a penalty while she donated to her local Salvation Army, last Saturday, July, 1.
Her mother, Linda, remained in the car keeping Rachel’s engine running as she quickly visited the Salvation Army to enquire whether or not they accept donations.
She parked in a private car park while dropping donations off. (James Maloney/Lancs Live)She was then asked by a member of staff where she had parked - and informed the adjacent car park did not belong to the charity and her car would need to be moved.
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Rachel said: "I jumped into the car and said to my mum, oh my goodness!
“Then, we saw the signs and I quickly drove off - it wasn't even two minutes.”
“I then pulled up on the actual pavement outside the charity shop and unloaded.”
"The manager of the charity shop said that we should be absolutely fine, as we were only there for two minutes."
The Salvation Army charity shop is on Pall Mall in Chorley, Lancashire. (James Maloney/Lancs Live)After dropping off her items, Rachel noted that she had more belongings at home that she wanted to give to the charity and asked whether she could return.
Within the hour, Rachel arrived back at the Salvation Army, but this time she parked in front of the shop straight away.
She said: "As I was leaving, I reversed back onto that car park to get onto the main road.
"Where I had parked, it was at a bus stop and it was also at traffic lights and I thought it was too dangerous to start making a manoeuvre.
“So, I reversed back onto the original car park, turned right, and drove off."
Rachel, a mother, had been clearing out her garage and wanted to donate to charity. (James Maloney/Lancs Live)However, Rachel then received a letter in the post from ES Parking Enforcement Ltd, fining her £100 for leaving her vehicle in the car park - but claiming she was there for 48 minutes and 54 seconds.
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She believes the parking company clocked her Kia Ceed arriving in the car park on Elmwood Court at 1. 07 pm, but it did not snap her leaving two minutes later.
Instead, it appears that ES Parking Enforcement used Rachel's reversing at 1.56 pm as the time she was exiting the area, suggesting she had been there for nearly an hour.
Rachel added: "So, they decided to include the fact that I was there for only two minutes and they are now saying I had a duration of 48 minutes and 54 seconds, this is what I am even more furious about.”
"I was in the car park for two minutes, I pulled off and unloaded, drove home, came back to my house with my mum - by the way, my mum is a witness and my car engine hadn't even been turned off.
“Most charity shops, you have to check in whether you can donate, so I ran in to see if they were and that's when the lady said, don't park there.
"I ran back to my car, jumped in, and took it straight off - it wasn't even two minutes. The fact of the matter is that they've sent me this parking charge, saying that I've got a duration of 48 minutes which is a complete lie."
Rachel has appealed to ES Parking Enforcement Ltd about the fine but has yet to hear back from the company.
She says she will not pay the fine, as she was unaware that the car park did not belong to the Salvation Army, despite being adjacent to the shop.
ES Parking Enforcement Ltd has been contacted for comment.
The news of Rachel's fine comes after another Chorley resident, Christine Maxwell, was also fined for donating items to the charity shop.
Christine's husband visited the shop on his own and didn't notice the parking enforcement signs, but thought it to be the best place to park due to the shop's location on a busy road and bus stop.
However, 20 days later, the couple was also fined £100.
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