UK Parking Control disciplined over altered photos

Simone Riley-Young said she was still in bed when her car was apparently photographed at 07:15 by a parking attendant

A car park operator has been disciplined after some of its employees altered photographic evidence to unfairly impose parking charges.

UK Parking Control, which operates more than 1,400 car parks, previously admitted some timestamps were changed to make it appear cars had overstayed.

The company has been given eight sanction points by the British Parking Association (BPA).

It could be expelled from the scheme if it gets more points.

If this happens it will not be able to get vehicle keeper details from the DVLA, meaning it cannot pursue drivers for money.

'Rogue wardens'

Dave Smith from the BPA said: "They are not expelled but they are close to that point and they do have to improve their practices.

"I think it's important to point out that this isn't indicative of widespread tampering by their wardens.

"It's rogue wardens operating outside of the code of practice and UKPC themselves have taken very firm action against those wardens."

Matthew Treacy said he has evidence to prove that his car could not have been at Tritton Retail Park at 14:06, as the picture suggests

UKPC admitted the problem after it was raised by duped drivers in Lincoln.

Simone Riley-Young and Matthew Treacy were accused of staying over the permitted two hours at Tritton Retail Park in Lincoln, but both drivers noticed the times on the photos of their cars were wrong.

The company said it had "taken this issue extremely seriously" and would "refund all potentially affected parking charges for over-stays issued by these employees".

These cars were supposedly photographed two hours apart in Newcastle-under-Lyme, despite the boot of a nearby car being open in both photos

The BPA is updating its code of practice following the UKPC investigation.

The changes, coming into effect from 1 October, make it clear it is "wholly unacceptable" for parking attendants to be offered financial incentives for issuing more parking notices.

Drivers will also have a grace period of 10 minutes after their parking time is due to expire.

UKPC was also reported to Action Fraud and the complaint was assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

However, the matter is not being sent to a police force for investigation.

An Action Fraud spokesperson said: "Contact has been made by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau with UKPC who have implemented their own internal measures to resolve the situation."

The DVLA is still investigating UKPC and has stopped providing vehicle keeper details to the company while its inquiry is under way.

A DVLA spokesperson said: "I can confirm that UK Parking Control has been suspended while we carry out our investigation.

"We take our responsibility to protect information seriously. If it is brought to our attention that a company requesting vehicle keeper information may not be meeting the necessary standards, we will investigate."