A couple from the Fylde Coast have been fined £100 after parking their car in Deepdale Shopping Park with their front wheel millimetres over the white bay line

A couple have been sent a fine of £100 after the front wheel of their car was on the white line in a car park.

James and his wife from Freckleton, visited Deepdale Shopping Park on 13 May when the incident took place. Taking to social media, James claimed that the front wheel of the couple’s car was touching the line but otherwise, not causing an obstruction to other vehicles.

However, due to the rules of the park, they were issued with an £100 fine which could be reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. Talking to LancsLive, James, who didn’t want to give his surname, said: “We don’t go to shopping parks a lot and haven’t been to Deepdale in some time.

“When we got there, it was quiet so when we parked and the front wheel was slightly over the line, we didn’t think it would matter because we weren’t obstructing anyone. Also, because we don’t visit Deepdale often, we weren’t aware of the rules.

“We forgot about it all and then a few weeks later got the fine through the post. We have a family estate car, so it’s not the smallest but also not the biggest car so it really wasn’t in anyone’s way and it was a quiet day.”

The company who issued the fine to the couple, CP Plus Ltd have now merged under the parent company ‘Group Nexus’. On their website, the company states they handle the “installation of ANPR linked car park management systems; barriers; parking permit applications; pay for parking services including our payment app, machine, cashless and online.”

As CP Plus Ltd, the company have previously been under fire for their management. In 2015 it was revealed that the company made £26.2m by running parking services in and NHS Trusts, making people pay £3.50 an hour in some hospitals.

“Someone on our street actually had the exact same thing happen to them at Deepdale last month,” James added. “They managed to get it cancelled so we’re going to hopefully do the same thing.”

A spokesperson for CP Plus Ltd/Group Nexus has said: “Having reviewed this in more detail and looked at the images taken at the time clearly show that the motorist was parked at an angle across the white line meaning that the other bay was not able to be used by other motorists. Hence in our judgement the PCN was issued correctly.”

• 16:53, 6 JUN 2022