A grandfather has issued a warning to parents after being hit with an unexpected fine at a Yorkshire shopping centre.
Harry Hall was visiting Meadowhall in Sheffield with his wife Lisa and three-year-old granddaughter to do some Christmas shopping.
But upon returning to the car, they found a £60 fine for not registering to use a parent and child space.
Mr Hall is angry about what he believes to be a lack of signage and that he only found out after he paid that he could have registered to have the fine rescinded.
He now wants to warn families visiting Meadowhall of the new rule which could catch them out and cost them £60.
Harry told HullLive: “We had gone Christmas shopping with our granddaughter and had parked in a parent and child bay as we always do when we’re with her.
“A couple of hours later we came back to see a fine on the window screen. I opened it and it stated that the car was unauthorised to be there. I thought: ‘How can it be, I’ve got two child seats and I’m with my granddaughter’. When I opened it I couldn’t believe it. I’d parked legally and nothing else was wrong, I was so confused.”
He found a sign explaining the rule about registering as a parent to use the spaces six bays away.
Mr Hall continued: “When you’re with children and you think you know how the parking works, you’re not going to look at the signs. Besides, there are loads of different signs saying different things, I wouldn’t know where to look.”
“I think Meadowhall have got the right idea for sure, I just think it needs to be made more obvious and clear. With it coming to Christmas, I wouldn’t want other people to get a ticket for the same reason we did.
“I think the solution is to put up more signs stating that if you forget you can have the ticket reversed or a sign saying ‘have you registered?’ explaining the new rule.”
As a gesture of goodwill, Meadowhall has agreed to repay Harry the cost of the fine.
Darren Pearce, centre director at Meadowhall, said: “We want Meadowhall to be accessible and enjoyable for everyone, and understand how important Parent & Child parking spaces are to help with that experience when visiting with young children.
“After receiving feedback from parents and guardians, we introduced the permit scheme to ensure they are free for visitors who need them. It’s quick and simple to register for a free permit and we’re really pleased parents have welcomed the change.”
The ticket itself was issued by Minster Baywatch Parking. A spokesperson said: “The site has 500+ bright yellow signs highlighting the user requirements when on site. There are 50+ Authorised User Parking Only signs for Parent and Child bays clearly laying out the terms and conditions of parking in these bays.
“These signs outline that to park in the parent and child bays motorists must be an authorised user, by registering their vehicle at the highlighted locations within the Meadowhall Shopping Centre. The signage informs of the locations where you should register to use Parent and Child bays.”
