Driver fined £100 for car park U-turn

A motorist has been fined £100 after turning around in a Nottinghamshire car park that was monitored over CCTV.

Martin Leighton entered the car park in Stapleford to drop off his sister and perform a U-turn. He didn’t stop his car in a designated parking bay or even get out of his car during the brief time he was there.

Mr Leighton said he would have turned around on the road, reports the BBC, but stated there were cars behind him waiting to get past. 

“It’s just too much money to give away nowadays,” he said. “It’s not fair.

“If I had been parked up, if I had left my vehicle and completely ignored the legislation, I can understand them being angry and invoicing me. But if it’s someone just turning around, then I don’t think that warrants a £100 fine.” 

The car park at the centre of the storm is operated by UKPS Ltd and controlled by CCTV cameras. Signage in the car park states that, by entering the land, users agree to abide by the terms and conditions — which require vehicles to have a parking permit registered with UKPS. 

UKPS states that it allows a five-minute grace period in which motorists can read the signs to check whether or not they will comply with the company's terms and conditions for the car park. This is at odds with Mr Leighton's claim that he was on the privately-owned car park land for 70 seconds.

Crucially, there is no method of obtaining a pay-and-display ticket to stay on the site. This means even drivers who realise it's a permit-controlled car park have no way of paying to avoid a potential fine.

Another driver, Dave Knight, was also fined £100 after stopping in the same car park in 2023 due to feeling unwell. He had undergone stomach surgery a few weeks prior to the incident.

He said the signs warning of the charges were "too small" to read on the approach to the site, but lost his appeal against the charge because he had parked up in order for his passenger to fetch some water to alleviate his symptoms.

UKPS told the BBC it had “listened to the concerns raised by the community” and may offer a pay-and-display option in the future.