The seething mom said she assumed it would be okay to use the parking lot for a few minutes while there are no customers around and has insisted she won’t pay the fine
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An angry mother refuses to pay a £ 160 fine for parking “five minutes” in a restaurant parking lot while breaking into a nearby store.
The woman, who chose to remain anonymous, said she parked in a parking lot at the Fort of India restaurant in Whitefield, Manchester, while it was closed – as there was nowhere else to park her car.
The mother, who says that she assumed it was okay to use the parking lot for a few minutes while there are no customers around, said that paying such a large sum seems “incorrect” and said she’s the fine.
However, restaurant chefs say they have “every right” to impose the fine and stand by their decision to hire a private company to handle the parking lot, Manchester Evening News reports.
Restaurant manager Ali Mohammed claims there are dozens of large red signs in the parking lot clearly indicating that the area is for customers only.
Do you think the mother is right to refuse to pay the £ 160 fine? Share your thoughts in the comments section below
The mother used the parking lot “five minutes”
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Manchester Evening News)
The signs read, “This private property is for motor vehicle parking provided the following conditions are met: Customers of Forts of India.”
It also states that customers must enter their registration number when entering the restaurant.
Mr Mohammed said they introduced parking restrictions a few years ago after motorists parked their cars there for hours, leaving guests with no parking space.
But the seething mom says she won’t pay the fine, adding that she doesn’t think it’s fair to charge someone for parking in a parking lot when it’s not in use.
Warning signs are in the parking lot
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“The restaurant wasn’t open so I thought it would be fine for five minutes,” she said.
“I’m not from this area and I haven’t really looked for signs, but I can’t remember seeing anything really obvious that said I couldn’t park there.
“I got the fine a few months ago but decided not to pay it as it was around £ 120 which seemed like so much money.
“Then I received a letter from Debt Recovery Plus last Friday that said I had five days to pay £ 160 from the date of writing.
The restaurant has implemented the measures to secure parking spaces for guests
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“It had been four days by the time it came, and I had another day to pay for it, and it was a weekend too.”
The woman says she only has half an hour for her lunch break and that it is impossible to park anywhere else in the area.
“I don’t think it’s fair to ask someone to pay £ 120 for an area that is not being used,” she added.
“Paying a private company to hit you with a hefty fine just doesn’t seem right to me.
“Now you’ve increased the fine to £ 160, I’m not going to pay it.”
Mr Mohammed claims that the fine the restaurant has for using the car park is actually £ 60 if paid within 14 days.
“When we opened at 5pm, we used to have problems with people who parked there to use other shops
“We had to do something about it.
“I don’t know how the payment came to £ 160. The private company we use will charge £ 60 if you pay them within 14 days.
“Then it goes down to £ 100 and I assume the debt collectors have now interfered. We have every right to protect our country.”
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