And we all cheer!
Has it already been done to death ? What happens when you take the 2 hrs free parking then move off on to the pumps ect ,from passing the camera coming to going out you could rack up 2 hrs 20 odd ?
I had a similar situation just over a year ago when I was going to sign paperwork for a new flat. I’d been doing a night shift and opted to head off straight after working the night shift. On the way I became too tired to continue and pulled into some msa on the M1 for some restorative shuteye. I hadn’t even noticed how long I’d been there with more important things on my mind. Some time after I got the obligatory highwaymans request which was filed under B…not a word since!
switchlogic:
And we all cheer!
good for him! 
Just read this article that suggest we can all challenge on the grounds of H&S the fines we might ourselves be getting for over-staying the 2 hour free parking period at motorway service areas…
A lot of us are surely forced to use MSAs in the first place - only because we can’t find an empty space in a layby for love nor money!
Then there are the laybys which have 3-4 bays, but have a single low-loader hogging all those bays…
…And the ones always choc-a-bloc with foreign trucks…
…Not forgetting Stobarts/Nobbies sitting there blocking the whole lane off so you can’t get in to take one of the two spaces remaining otherwise…
60,000 CCJs against motorists in 3 years.
BY ONE COMPANY!!!
TiredAndEmotional:
I had a similar situation just over a year ago when I was going to sign paperwork for a new flat. I’d been doing a night shift and opted to head off straight after working the night shift. On the way I became too tired to continue and pulled into some msa on the M1 for some restorative shuteye. I hadn’t even noticed how long I’d been there with more important things on my mind. Some time after I got the obligatory highwaymans request which was filed under B…not a word since!
They have 6 years to chase ya and most that are in MSA’s will chase all the way to the courts.
60,000 CCJs issued to motorists by one company in 3 years
Hooray!..
But, Parking Eye didn’t defend their action in court. From what I’ve read they feel they had a robust defence. The ticket was origionally upheld by Popla (the independent appeals service for parking notices issued on private land). Why they missed the appearance is down to a misunderstanding of court lists.
Sadly, I don’t think it’s as cut and dried as I’d like it to be. There’s a possibility of Parking Eye going through the whole thing again with a new victim and sucessfully defending their case in a court room.
Obviously I despise these parasite firms as much as the next man.
The government allowing the DVLA to flog our private details for cash has a great deal to do with this.
I’m currently about to go to court with excel parking for a 2012 parking ticket.
Long story, faulty machine, I weren’t the driver (to be fair I was at home knocking one out at the time but it’s hard prove).
Anyway nice to see one of these firms get stuffed.
You only get a CCJ if you don’t pay after judgement but a lot of these companies have been going after old cases before they hit the statute barred 6 year limit, hoping to get a default judgement as the registered keeper has moved house and won’t know anything about it till after.
Dipper_Dave:
but a lot of these companies have been going after old cases before they hit the statute barred 6 year limit, hoping to get a default judgement as the registered keeper has moved house and won’t know anything about it till after.
I’ve heard this said before.
If true, I don’t see the point. Ok the court letters etc go to the wrong address so the defendant has no idea he’s being taken to court, but when a CCJ is awarded against him the parking company can’t get him to pay - because he doesn’t live there anymore.
Could be the bailiffs get involved to collect the debt and are quite resourceful at locating them.
Or they find out they have a CCJ later say by trying to get credit or looking at their credit file and have to sort it out, either by coughing up or trying to get the judgement set aside.
Dipper_Dave:
Could be the bailiffs get involved to collect the debt and are quite resourceful at locating them.Or they find out they have a CCJ later say by trying to get credit or looking at their credit file and have to sort it out, either by coughing up or trying to get the judgement set aside.
Perhaps.
But when a CCJ is awarded, you only have a month to pay it in full and get it wiped off your record - otherwise it’s there for 6 years
Yep, if you pay it in time there’s no CCJ on your record.
By some strange coincidence there’s a recent case on parking pranksters blog about a CCJ being set aside.
yourhavingalarf:
Sadly, I don’t think it’s as cut and dried as I’d like it to be. There’s a possibility of Parking Eye going through the whole thing again with a new victim and successfully defending their case in a court room.]
Yea, just looks to me like there was a mix up resulting in them not showing up in court, thus gifting the win to the ‘victim’.
Why is everybody slagging off the parking firms for simply doing what they are contracted to do? Just seems that people are getting the hump now because the ‘unenforceable’ parking tickets are actually getting enforced. If I was this bloke I’d just have taken it on the chin & complained to the MSA if I felt so strongly about nighttime parking enforcement.
rob22888:
yourhavingalarf:
Sadly, I don’t think it’s as cut and dried as I’d like it to be. There’s a possibility of Parking Eye going through the whole thing again with a new victim and successfully defending their case in a court room.]Yea, just looks to me like there was a mix up resulting in them not showing up in court, thus gifting the win to the ‘victim’.
Why is everybody slagging off the parking firms for simply doing what they are contracted to do? Just seems that people are getting the hump now because the ‘unenforceable’ parking tickets are actually getting enforced. If I was this bloke I’d just have taken it on the chin & complained to the MSA if I felt so strongly about nighttime parking enforcement.
I’m not so sure the parking company mixed up the court case times - I don’t think they fancied going up against a barrister arguing his own case.
I kind of agree with you to some extent RE parking companies, they do have a case occasionally against those who take the p***. However, when it’s the middle of the night and the car park is empty - I don’t think anyone doing the sensible thing when tired - pulling in and having a break should be charged.
I got done in the car last year, pulling onto an industrial estate in my car to take a call. Parked on a double yellow at a dead end, no obstruction to anyone for just 5 minutes yet got a ticket through the post. Needless to say I ignored all letters I received, the last one was 12 months ago threatening me with court.
This the trouble with this day and ages “crime by camera” society.
There is no leeway, no descretion. You either do or don’t break the rules.
In the case above, an actual person would say, move along please sir, you can’t stop here… oh go on then just 5 minutes.
A camera sees you there… bam, booked.
Same goes for speed cameras, box junction cameras, and the rest.
Sometimes just because “a crime” has been committed, doesn’t always mean it should be enforced and followed up.
Surely everyone knows that there’s a two-hour limit to free parking at motorway service stations - after that you have to pay. He overstayed by a full 20 minutes, not two or three - tough but whether there was a sign or not, he knew the rules and if he didn’t, he could have asked in Smith’s. All the service station operators will do is make sure the signs are up and clear.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
I had the same thing 5 years ago. Was driving home to Ipswich from Manchester in my car after a long day working up there. Got to around 2 or 3 in the morning and i was absolutely shattered, saw one of those “don’t drive tired, take a break” signs and said to myself “yup, sensible idea, lets stop and get 2 or 3 hours power snooze”
So i pulled into an empty motorway services car park, went to the far corner so i could have some level of privacy while i laid down on the seat drooling as i slept 
Got up 3 hours later, grabbed a coffee and felt remarkably refreshed and got home safely.
Few days later got a fine for overstaying the free 2 hours (never saw a sign on the way in or where i parked). Appealled, they threw that out and sent me an £85 fine which i ignored. Sent another, i ignored and then they gave up. I just never contacted or acknowledged them. I complained heavily to Moto or whoever it was that ran the place saying that you’ve got signs up telling people not to drive tired and to take a break, yet in doing so they get a threatening letter and an £85 fine for doing so.
■■■■■■■■ to 'em. Probably the kind of people who’d rather i got less than 2 hours sleep, drove home and fell asleep at the wheel and caused a crash instead of staying in an empty car park an extra hour.