Dear Sir,
I am writing to share an issue that I believe affects many residents and local businesses in our community – the use of unfair parking fines by a private car park operator, Parking Group Limited, in Newton Aycliffe town centre.
I have lived in Aycliffe for over 30 years and, as a former business owner in the town centre, I’ve always supported our local businesses.
On the day of the incident – a dark December afternoon – I had visited the town centre for some shopping and a haircut. When I returned to my car, the car battery suddenly failed. I had to wait for help and, as a result, exceeded the maximum parking time (2.5 hours) by 16 minutes (I entered the car park at 15.08 and exited at 17.54). I could not extend my stay as the car park does not have this option, even in case of emergency. I also want to note that the signage in the car park is not clearly visible in low light, which made it even harder to clearly see the terms and conditions and it could easily catch others out too.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Bosch Car Service – Hilton Road Garage who lent me a power bank – their kindness turned a stressful moment into a reminder of the strong community spirit we’re lucky to have in Aycliffe.
Despite explaining the situation and providing evidence, the parking company initially acknowledged it was a genuine issue and offered to reduce the fine to a £20 ‘admin fee’. However, when I appealed to POPLA in hopes of having the charge waived completely, I lost – and the full £100 fine was reinstated.
This feels not only deeply unfair, but also disheartening for residents who are simply trying to shop locally and support town centre businesses. If these kinds of practices continue, they risk driving people away from Newton Aycliffe’s town centre altogether.
With local elections approaching, I believe that now is the time to raise this issue. I hope that by sharing my experience, others who’ve faced similar situations will feel encouraged to come forward – and that local candidates will consider how to better protect residents from overly aggressive private parking enforcement.
Thank you for your time and for being a voice for our community.
Name and address supplied.