'I FEEL EXPLOITED'
I was slapped with £170 parking fine despite paying – warden even took a picture of my permit
The furious motorist described the 'really intimidating' process as a 'very stressful situation' due to one specific reason
A FUMING woman was hit with an eye-watering £170 parking fine despite PAYING - all because the wind had blown her ticket over.
Emma Downey, from Preston, Lancashire, was gobsmacked when she was slapped with the penalty after dutifully buying her time in the space.
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When she looked at the ticket she realised a gush of wind as she shut her car door had push the paper over.
The 41-year-old journalist believed when she appealed the fine and explained her honest mistake with photographic evidence, ES Parking would squash the bill.
But, she was met with a stone-cold response and sent back a picture the warden had taken of the overturned ticket.
Emma told the Lancashire Post: “This just feels so unfair.
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“I purchased a ticket and displayed it but I’ve been fined.
"I understand the ticket should have been the other way up but on displaying the proof that I did follow the rules you would think that would be the end of the matter."
She said none of the car park signage detailed the ticket had to be face up.
“If I had forgotten to buy a ticket I could have understood," she added.
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The penalty was originally £100, and drivers issued one have 28 days to pay before it rises to a hefty £170.
After Emma launched her appeal, ES Parking solicitors Gladstones, took four months to form a response, only for it to be denied.
The furious motorist described the "really intimidating" process as a "very stressful situation" due to a lack of customer service.
“I feel exploited. This can’t be the first time this has happened in Preston," she added.
Emma claimed others have shared their plights with the parking firm and alleged some "horror stories".
She tried to kickstart another appeal, but has been told there are no more options.
A spokesman for ES Parking said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases due to data protection.
"However, the terms and conditions of this site, as clearly outlined on the signage, says 'A valid ticket for this site must be purchased and displayed clearly within the front windscreen. Breach of any term or condition will result in the driver being liable for a parking charge of £100.
“If Emma wishes to contact our customer service team, we will be able to provide her with further information about the Parking Charge Notice.”
The Sun contacted ES Parking for comment.
This comes as hundreds of people up and down the country are issued unfair parking fines.
One driver was slapped with 40 penalties in a city he had never been in.
The motorist, named as JM, lives more than 200 miles away from where the penalties were apparently issued.
Another woman was taken to court over £300 - but it backfired for the enforcement company.
Jaime Rock faced a two-year legal fight and claims to have been "called a liar" over a simple payment mishap.
Meanwhile, a dad has claimed his daughter faces fines for parking on her own driveway after the council blocked a planned dropped kerb.
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He alleged local road bosses refused permission unfairly, leaving the homeowner fighting for overcrowded on-street bays.