A MUM has been left outraged after allegedly being issued a parking ticket for stopping for 33 seconds because the airport car park she booked was closed.
Sarah Cain claims that she pulled over while enduring a panic attack about potentially missing her flight, only to be slapped with a £170 charge.
GettyA mum claims she was fined £170 for stopping for just 33 seconds after finding her airport car park closed[/caption]
Sarah, from Saltash, Cornwall, was due to travel from Bristol Aiport to Berlin on December 17 last year.
However, she claims that when she and her family arrived, the long-stay car park they had booked was “boarded off” and closed to drivers.
According to Sarah, the sudden change in plans and the prospect of missing the plane led her to become anxious and suffer a panic attack.
She alleges that she pulled over outside the short-stay car park for 33 seconds while she recovered – which led to her being fined.
The airport has admitted closing the car park but insisted that there was ample signage urging motorists not to park in “unsafe areas” as it posed a “high risk” to other holidaymakers.
But Sarah is furious that her mitigating circumstances were not considered.
She told Bristol Live: “I was not told of the car park change and when I arrived, the car park I should have been in was boarded off.
“It was such a big day for us as my daughter was unwell, and this gave her something to look forward to.
“Everything was overwhelming and I needed to catch my breath
“We did go to Berlin and had a good time, but when we got back we were issued with a fine.
“I tried explaining the situation but Bristol Airport was not interested and didn’t acknowledge the circumstances, it was like talking to robots.”
She also claimed that she was doing what she felt was “safest for everyone” by not driving while suffering a panic attack and that she has been left in tears each time she has tried to sort this out with the airport.
The mum appealed the £60 fine but was unsuccessful, having to cough up an enhanced rate of £170 because of delaying payment while her appeal went through.
How to appeal a parking ticket
When you receive a parking ticket the notice will usually provide a window in which you can appeal it and some detail on how to do so.
If the fine is from a council, it will have a dedicated appeals service which should be accessible online or by email or post.
If you appeal within the given window (usually 28 days) the council will then consider your appeal and issue a response.
In the event that you are still dissatisfied with the outcome, you can take it to an independent tribunal, though this can take months.
Just be cautious as most fines include a discount for early payment, which you may miss out on while your appeal is considered.
As for private parking fines, it’s a little more complicated.
Like with councils you can appeal directly to the company that issued the fine.
However, if you are rejected, there is no tribunal to go to.
Instead, you will have to find out which independent appeals service the company you’re dealing with is a part of and submit your complaint to them.
The only thing to note is that the appeals services are often funded by the parking companies themselves.
Check out our exclusive video with the Secret Traffic Warden to find out three major reasons to appeal your ticket.
A spokesperson for Bristol Airport said that the closure was part of a £60 million infrastructure project which led to the car park being “temporarily relocated”.
They also claimed that the airport attempted to communicate this change to any customers affected.
They added: “All of the internal roadways at the Airport have experienced a longstanding issue with vehicles stopping in unsafe areas.
“This poses a high risk to the safety of our customers, colleagues and business partners and causes delay and congestion to other road users.
“Signs across the site further underline the message to all customers. Drivers breaking the rules may face charges which will be enforced through a combination of fixed cameras and mobile patrols, and when the evidence clearly shows customers stopping on double red lines or in clearly unsafe areas.”
“}]]