Tourist accuses private parking firm of 'robbery' over £170 charge notice

A HOLIDAYMAKER has accused a private parking firm of robbing her after debt collectors sent her a bill for £170 over a parking charge notice she says she never received - issued for an overstay of less than 10 minutes.

- by LISA LETCHER

Believing there was a 15-minute grace period mother of two Amy Lathan, 40, from Nottingham, parked for seven minutes too long in the St Michael’s Mount and Long Stay Marazion car park in early April.

She was on holiday with her family in St Ives, but says she won't be returning any time soon.

She said she paid to park and went off to enjoy the day, and it was only weeks later that a letter arrived saying that as she had not paid a parking charge notice (PCN) of £60 she now owed Initial Parking, which manages the car park, more than twice that sum.

Amy said she was furious not to have received the original PCN, which she would have paid.