A FUMING pensioner says a parking firm tried to charge him £100 for 20 minutes – but he's had the last laugh after taking drastic action.
Stanley Luckhurst, 85, from Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire, paid £1.60 to leave his Citroen Berlingo at a car park in Uxbridge, west London.
But Stanley mistakenly parked in a reserved space – blaming the bad lighting in the underground car park.
He said: "It was so dark, you couldn’t see a sausage, let alone a parking sign."
The operator of the car park slapped Stanley with a £100 fine – then demanded another £70 in "debt collection costs" when he refused to pay up.
Stanley noticed that a snap of his number plate included in the penalty notice used flash, proving that the signs were hard to see.
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When Excel Parking brought a case against him at the Royal Courts of Justice, he pointed out the tell-tale detail.
District Judge McCloskey took just a few minutes to dismiss Excel's claim for £255 – and handed it a £306 bill to cover Stanley's legal costs.
Stanley said: "I strongly resent how Excel tried to turn a £1.60 parking fee into a £100 fine and ultimately into a demand for £255.
"Legal or not, it’s bordering on extortion. Let’s hope the Government’s proposed new Parking Code of Practice will address these failings."
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