Drivers claim car park wrongly issuing fines

The Chadburn Centre car park offers free parking for up to 90 minutes

Drivers said they were refusing to use a city car park after claiming they had been wrongly handed fines.

Dione Osborne, from Peterborough, has been one of several people who said they were fined £100 for parking during a free grace period at the Chadburn Centre in Paston.

The car park, operated by ParkMaven, offers free parking for 90 minutes and is near convenience stores, a pizza restaurant and a hairdressers.

The management of the Chadburn Centre said it was aware of customers' "issues" at the car park and had raised them with the parking management company to "urgently resolve". ParkMaven has been contacted for comment.

Local councillor Alex Rafiq said people had been avoiding the Chadburn Centre because of the risk of fines

Conservative councillor for Paston and Walton, Alex Rafiq, said he had been contacted by "several residents and businesses in the last few days" with concerns about receiving a parking ticket, despite claiming to leave within the free time limit.

He said "some elderly people have paid the fine out of fear because they didn't know what to do".

"I am trying to get in touch with the centre owners and the car parking company to sort this out. Many people are now avoiding the centre. This will be detrimental to the businesses," he said.

Dione Osborne said the car park "wrongly" recorded her being there for more than two hours and would be appealing the decision

Ms Osborne said she visited the centre most mornings to pick up a newspaper for her elderly father and "couldn't believe it" when she was sent a parking notice.

"The ticket they sent me says I was there two hours and forty-five minutes. It is rubbish, as I was in Thorney with my dad.

"It is disgusting to be honest. I put it on social media and so many people have been in touch to share their experiences."

Another person who works at a local shop in the area, who wished to be anonymous, said she was sent a letter instructing them to pay £170.

"They accused me of parking there from 12:00 on 18th November until 10:00 on 19th November, which is impossible," she said.

A spokesman from The Chadburn Centre, part of LCP Properties, said: "We are aware that certain customers have experienced issues at this site and have raised this with the parking management company to urgently resolve."