A pensioner who left without paying at a Trowbridge shopping centre has been let off most of a £100 parking charge as a “goodwill gesture’.

Patricia Dobson, 77, unsuccessfully appealed the parking charge notice from Parkmaven which manages the car park at The Shires shopping centre.

But she says the London company has told her she only needs to pay £12.50 as a ‘goodwill gesture’ as it was the first time she had fallen foul of parking regulations which say drivers must enter their vehicle registration details before leaving.

In a letter to Mrs Dobson, Parkmaven said: “On this occasion, as a goodwill gesture, given this is the first instance, we will not enforce the full cost of the ticket (£100) and have reduced the charge to £12.50 to cover the administration fees of the ticket being issued and cancelled.”

Mrs Dobson, from Blease Close in Staverton, had appealed the PCN, saying: “I won’t pay one penny of it. I’m a pensioner and I just haven’t got that sort of money.

“I’m fed up of all these faceless brutes. They can put me in prison first.”

Wiltshire Times: Patricia Dobson with her blue badge. Photo: Trevor Porter 70401-3Patricia Dobson with her blue badge. Photo: Trevor Porter 70401-3 (Image: Trevor Porter)

With help from The Shires shopping centre management team, she has decided to pay the £12.50 rather than appeal to POPLA, the independent appeals panel.

Mrs Dobson, a disabled blue badge holder, said: “I haven't been to The Shires for years but back in the day you either paid cash at a parking metre or you had a blue badge and parked in a disabled space for three hours. 

“I went to meet up with my son and his wife at Boswells Café in September as they'd just come back to the UK.

“I had been in hospital June / July and was issued with a blue badge. So when my son said they would meet me at Boswells I said okay.

“I drove in and saw the sign for one-hour free parking, there was nothing to say you still had to pay.

“I found a blue badge parking spot and was chuffed with myself for finding what seemed to be the last one. My badge tells me I can park for three hours.

“I was there just short of two hours but thought that's okay as I have three hours.

“So imagine my surprise when I got a letter to say I was going to be fined £100, or £60 if I paid up now.

“They had a photo of me coming into The Shires and another of me leaving but they also said if I phoned they would expect me to pay up.

“So I wrote an appeal and posted it through the Post Office and made a payment of £2.75 so they had to sign for my letter.

“This week I get another letter to say I must now pay the full amount £100 as I haven’t made an appeal.

“So it's taken them three weeks after receiving my letter to tell me I hadn't sent it. I will not be paying them one penny.”

Wiltshire Times: Parkmaven has recently installed new signs saying the parking charges also apply to Blue Badger holders. Photo: Trevor Porter 70401-4Parkmaven has recently installed new signs saying the parking charges also apply to Blue Badger holders. Photo: Trevor Porter 70401-4 (Image: Trevor Porter)

Meanwhile, one shopper, Ron Maplesden, has successfully appealed a parking charge notice issued by Parkmaven.

Mr Maplesden had argued that the Parkmaven machines had failed to register a £1 coin payment.

He said: “In my case the coin machines failed to register the parking fee having inserted the £1 coin needed for the fee.”

He added: “I have had an email from POPLA to say my PCN appeal has been supported.

“The company failed in their obligation to provide evidence to POPLA in the agreed timescale so they have supported my appeal without going any further.”