Id rather go to prison than pay my parking fine!: Mother, 40, REFUSES to cough up £170 penalty for parking on beachfront with her disabled daughter
A furious mother says she would rather go to prison than pay a £170 fine for parking on a beachfront with her disabled daughter.
A furious mother says she would rather go to prison than pay a £170 fine for parking on a beachfront with her disabled daughter.
Laura Franklin, 40, left her vehicle at a car park on Dover seafront while she took her 13-year-old disabled daughter and her friend - who has cystic fibrosis - to the beach in August.
After thinking that it was a public car park, she was shocked beyond belief when, three days later, a ticket arrived through the post.
Ms Franklin said: There was no parking along the beach so I came here, where Ive parked before.
I had no other choice because my daughters friend cant walk very far. So Im furious about it. I really am.
Laura Franklin, pictured, received a £170 fine for parking on a beachfront with her disabled daughter
The mother-of-four said: Im not going to give up. Even if I end up going to prison, I would gladly take it
Ms Franklin, who works in a charity shop, was originally fined £100. She then appealed the fine and received email confirmation that it was being looked into.
But then I got another letter telling me the fine was now £170, because I hadnt paid within the required timeframe, the mother-of-four said.
£170! How can you justify that?
Harbour House Car Park, which uses automatic number plate recognition, is part-time public and part-time private for Dover Harbour Board staff.
Underneath its signage which states Public Parking Available, it clarifies the hours during which the public can park at the site - 4pm till 8am Monday to Friday, and all day on the weekends.
But Ms Franklin - who visited on August 13, a Tuesday - says the writing is too small and should be made clearer.
She added: When youve got children with you, you get distracted. All I was thinking about was giving them a good time.
However, the letter sent by GXS Services, which operates the car park, says there is clear signage onsite.
Furthermore, it states that even with her blue badge, Mrs Franklin still should have paid for parking via the RingGo app - something she said she was not aware of.
Ms Franklin is registered disabled as she suffers from irregular heart rhythm and has stents fitted in her heart. Her daughter has learning difficulties and her daughters friend has cystic fibrosis.
Harbour House Car Park, which uses automatic number plate recognition, is part-time public and part-time private for Dover Harbour Board staff
Underneath its signage which states Public Parking Available, it clarifies the hours during which the public can park at the site - 4pm till 8am Monday to Friday, and all day on the weekends
When she visited Harbour House Car Park, she parked in a marked disabled bay and displayed her blue badge the entire time - between 12:15pm and 1:59pm.
The mum, who lives in Dover, said: I dont think its right. Im disabled, and I had two disabled children with me at the time.
Plus, theyve got CCTV, so they would have seen that my daughters friend has additional needs. Ive proved I am disabled and shown them proof of my blue badge.
Ms Franklin says she will fight the fine till the very end - even if she ends up in prison.
She said: If they refuse my appeal, it will go to court, and I will fight it all the way.
I feel Im justified, and Im not going to give up. Even if I end up going to prison, I would gladly take it.
I dont think its right. I dont think these private companies should be allowed to charge £170.
Its stressing me out. Im having trouble sleeping at night. Im worried because theyre on my case. They want me to pay this fine. But I just cant.
GXS services was set up in 2014 and states its ethos is to remove the burden of abusive parking by implementing ethical, transparent parking management.
The letter sent to Ms Franklin states: This charge relates to the period of parking specified above, the charge having been incurred for the reason stated and liability for the same having been brought to the attention of the driver by clear signage in and around the site at the time of parking.
A Dover Harbour Board spokesman said: The Harbour House car park has accessible allocated parking for blue badge holders.
As a private car park and displayed on the signs, the normal tariff applies to all users including public parking outside of office hours only, and a paid-for ticket being required for the time needed.
