Theme park visitors angry at parking charge errors

Suzi Russell and her husband-to-be are season-ticket holders at Pleasurewood Hills

Families and thrill-seekers say they feel like they have been "robbed” after being hit with £100 parking charges despite paying correctly at a theme park in Suffolk.

Pleasurewood Hills, in Lowestoft, introduced a new pay-to-park system at the end of May, charging customers £3 a day and season-ticket holders £9 a year.

Since then, visitors have received parking charge notices from Smart Parking - the company which monitors parking at the site - even though they have paid the required charges.

Bosses at Pleasurewood Hills have put the incorrectly-issued bills down to a “technical error” - but those who have fallen victim say the explanation is not good enough.

Suzi Russell's husband-to-be and their daughter at Pleasurewood Hills

Suzi Russell, 35, is a season-ticket holder with her husband-to-be and their daughter.

The family headed to the site in June, and a few weeks later a parking bill for £100 – or £60 if paid early – popped through their Lowestoft letterbox.

“I was like, ‘Hang on a second, this can’t be correct’, so I called Pleasurewood Hills and was told the cameras were switched on too early,” she said.

“The registration data hadn’t been sent to Smart Parking yet but I thought, ‘That’s not a 'Me' problem that’s a 'You' problem’.

“We’ve paid £85 each for a season pass and £9 per car, and now I have a £100 [bill]. It is their problem and the buck has to stop with them.

“It’s meant to be a family-friendly park for a great day out but it’s anything but that at the moment - and even now there has been no apology. I just find it really rude.”

Jason Grundy (right) got a bill after dropping off his two sons at the park

Jason Grundy, 44, who also lives in Lowestoft, was hit with an invoice after dropping off his two sons and leaving within the park’s 15-minute grace period for parking.

“I was angry and I felt like I had been robbed," he said.

"I won’t pay [it]. I will not reply to any more emails, and every letter they send me will be put in the bin.”

Mr Grundy said he would take his business elsewhere in future.

“If I go there again, it will obviously be in the back of my mind, so do I really want to go through that again?

“Great Yarmouth is just up the road, and there is plenty of free parking up there, so to save the hassle I’ll probably go there with my kids.”

Helen Mortimer, pictured with her husband and children, said she would not return to Pleasurewood Hills

Helen Mortimer, 35, of Bradwell, Norfolk, is another regular visitor who has been billed, despite paying £3 when she went to the theme park – which is on the Norfolk-Suffolk border – with her children.

She also said she would never go to Pleasurewood Hills again.

“I was really shocked and I just think it’s ridiculous, and this will cause a lot of stress for a lot of families,” she said.

“I am going to dig my heels in and not pay, because I am innocent in all this.

“This will put a lot of people off going – I am not going to go there ever again.”

'Technical error'

A spokesperson for Pleasurewood Hills said: “Whilst there has been some negativity surrounding the introduction of parking charges, it is important to remember we have welcomed thousands of guests - the vast majority of whom have had no issue.

"We became aware of a technical error which resulted in some who had paid still receiving a parking charge notice.

"Our team have been happy to help and have been assisting with guests getting these queries answered and promptly resolved."

The BBC contacted Smart Parking but has not received a response.

Bosses at Smart Parking have said their services were enlisted by Pleasurewood Hills to "stop parking abuse and ensure genuine customers can always find somewhere to park".

A spokesman added: "We use a state-of-the-art ANPR parking management system that monitors cars entering and exiting the car park.

"Importantly the car park at Pleasurewood Hills is private land, so motorists should always check the terms and conditions of use before deciding to park.

"Ahead of the site going live, the Pleasurewood Hills team had a technical issue with their season tickets, and subsequently some PCN’s were issued.

"However, working with the Pleasurewood Hills team we quickly identified the issue and have subsequently cancelled the PCN’s that were issued to the season ticket holders."