A MOTORIST, 15 minutes late leaving a car park, is today facing a £125 bill for the hot coffee that delayed his departure.
Philip Clarke failed to see signs warning drivers that they could only park in the car park at a McDonalds restaurant for 45 minutes.
Mr Clarke, 47, of Blaxhall Church Road, Tunstall, was fined £75 - but he has failed to pay that penalty within 14 days while he contests the charge and now the fine is £125.
Mr Clarke had driven his parents-in-law to Gatwick airport and then he decided to stop at the McDonalds restaurant at Gatwick South.
He ate a meal and then went back into the restaurant and bought a coffee. He sat in his car to drink the coffee.
He was later told that he had spent an hour there and had to pay a fine. But Mr Clarke said: “The idea is that people should not stop there while they are waiting for a plane to come in.
“But I had a meal and then a coffee to break my journey home. I was not looking for any signs. I feel it is disgusting what has happened.
“I feel I have a genuine case, I wasn't trying to fiddle their books, I have overstayed an arbitrary time that they have stipulated in their car park that I did not know about.”
McDonalds says that there are two six foot by two foot signs and 15 smaller signs around the car park advising customers of the limited time permitted.
“The use of enforcement methods in our car parks is only necessary in extreme cases to ensure there are always spaces for our customers for the duration of their visit to the restaurant,” said Alexis Dolling, senior customer services manager.
A spokeswoman for McDonalds said: “All customers are handed a leaflet as they order, there are also posters in the restaurant. These invite customers who require longer than 45 minutes to make the shift manager aware of this at the time of ordering.
“So long as these are genuine customers, this will be arranged for them.”
The Civil Enforcement company, of Nottingham, told Mr Clarke that they would issue county court proceedings if they did not receive payment for the car park fine and it would add “additional costs, interest and fees to the claim.”
Mr Clarke said he did not want to go to court and therefore he was reluctantly resigned to paying the charge.
Source: Evening Star
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