Big Brother's spy system is fining shoppers
A shopping complex has been accused of playing Big Brother after putting up spy cameras to catch motorists overstaying their welcome.
Solent Retail Park in Havant logs the registration details of every car entering and leaving the car park, and any drivers who break the two-hour parking limit are fined 80.
One of those was Sally Smith of Newbolt Road, Portsmouth, who spent two-and-a-half hours helping her disabled mother around Hobbycraft.
She was astonished when two weeks later she received a fine in the post.
The 46-year-old, whose mum Annette Longman had spent 75 in the store for her over-60s club, said: 'I was absolutely disgusted. We spent a lot of money in the store and to get a fine for staying just 31 minutes too long has left me dismayed and angry.
'The charge is totally unreasonable and unfair and I shall be very wary about ever using the car park again.'
An automatic number plate recognition system was brought in at Solent Retail Park after a storm of protests about heavy-handed clampers in the car park.
Tesco in Havant has also introduced a similar scheme.
Havant council leader David Gillett said: 'I think it stinks of Big Brother. People should not have to worry about this when they are shopping.'
The camera system at the retail park is run by a company called Parking Eye, based in Preston, which pays for the addresses of over-staying motorists from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
However the DVLA has been recently criticised for selling people's details on.
Tim Farlam, head of property at Hargreaves, the retail park's owners, said Mrs Smith's fine has been cancelled.
And he added that genuine customers will not have to pay the fine if they appealed.
He explained: 'There is an agreement which every store manager knows about that if the motorist is a genuine customer and has spent a reasonable amount of money they will not have to pay the fine.'
Parking Eye refused to comment.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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