The signs at Ivy Street car park in Colwyn, Wales, did not say that free parking was limited to only four hours
Motorists who were fined for staying in bays marked ‘free parking’ have had their tickets overturned.
A dozen drivers parked in the car park at Ivy Street in Colwyn Bay, Wales, after looking at a bold, yellow sign that said ‘Free Parking’ in both English and Welsh.
But they were all landed with penalty notices after they failed to read the small print on the ordinary black parking sign above it which limited the stay to four hours.
After complaints, stickers were put over the yellow sign to make the time limit clear but there was no indication the fines would be rescinded.
However, following complaints about the mix-up, some of the motorists have been told they won’t have to cough up the cash.
Cath Jones, 39, one of the motorists fined on Friday, said she received an email saying the council now accepted her explanation for why she had been parked at Ivy Street for more than four hours.
She said: ‘I’m pleased that the council accepted my rationale for challenging it, but they haven’t apologised which is disappointing.
Motorists were furious to return to their vehicles at the car park and fined they had been issued with £25 fines
‘It’s OK to acknowledge a mistake and to say you’ve got it wrong, but their email isn’t very humble.
‘It was a pain to deal with and the council must have better ways of using their money; it was a pointless waste of time for me and money for them.’
Gill Kimpton Sanders, 47, another driver to be fined, also said her penalty had been dropped.
She said: ‘They emailed me to say it had been cancelled.
A council spokesman said that parking at the site is limited to just four hours and that the ‘arrangement has not changed and is unaffected by the current free parking’
‘I have been in contact with other people who were ticketed and it seems their fines have been dropped as well but I have posted on Facebook that people should email the council to make sure their fines will be overturned.
‘It was the right thing to do but it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.’
Conwy council has been asked for a comment.
A Welsh Government spokesman earlier said: ‘We have provided funding to local authorities towards piloting town centre free car parking.
‘Implementation and management of the scheme is a matter for the relevant local authority.’