Woman who was handed £1,906 ‘rip-off cost’ by automobile park operator sees expenses dropped

Rosey Hudson was among numerous people being taken to court by Excel Parking due to its five-minute payment rule but the case has been dropped after widespread publicity

A woman who faced a whopping £1,906 car park bill despite paying for a space every time will see her charges dropped.

Rosey Hudson was among numerous people being taken to court by Excel Parking due to its five-minute payment rule – which has seen drivers sent Parking Charge Notices (PCNs) for not paying within that time.

But following publicity about the case – and an MP describing the PCNs as a ‘five-minute rip-off charge’ – the claim against Miss Hudson has been dropped.

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Ms Hudson claimed that poor mobile signal forced her to wait until she reached work to buy parking tickets via an app. Since February 2023, she has been paying £3.30 each day for the tickets.

She said she has received 10 penalty charge notices (PCNs) of £100 each for not paying within five minutes of parking. Excel Parking, which operates the Copeland Street car park, is demanding Miss Hudson cough up £1,905.76 to settle nine outstanding PCNs.

The outstanding fines includes a £70 ‘debt recovery’ fee for each, 8% annual interest and £195 court costs.

A company spokesperson at the time blamed her for her predicament, stating she took “between 14 and 190 minutes” to purchase tickets each time.

Excel Parking says it five-minute rule is clearly signed in the car park, adding Miss Hudson had the alternative to pay with coins – an option she insists was impossible due to a faulty machine.

A spokesman for the firm pointed out that Miss Hudson declined to appeal through the Independent Appeals Service (IAS).

Ms Hudson labelled the claim as “absolutely ludicrous”, attributing any delays to the app’s failure to process payments instantly.

However, the cases have now been discontinued.

DCB Legal, which represents Excel Parking, has donated £60 to the Teenage Cancer Trust at Miss Hudson’s request, in lieu of the first PCN she paid.

“I’ve basically won without having to go to court, which is incredible, and I feel like I’ve had a weight lifted off my shoulders,” she told the BBC.

“I won’t have that anxiety of thinking I don’t want to pick the post up this morning because I’m worried it’s another PCN fine or another debt collector letter.”

However, Miss Hudson said she wanted to “continue fighting for other people that are going through the same thing”.

Other people were also wrongfully charged money by the parking firm.

Garry Kay, who parked at the same car park as Miss Hudson – the Copeland Street car park in Derby.

Excel Parking demanded £255 from Mr Kay, but he found out the case had been discontinued shortly before he was due to defend himself in court.

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