Kevin Smith, 68, claims he was fined £200 for parking at East Midlands Airport despite having paid the required £5 fee on both occasions. He was issued with two £100 fines, which can be reduced to £60 each if paid within 14 days
A man has been left gobsmacked after being slapped with £200 in parking fines at a UK airport, despite having coughed up for his parking stay. Kevin Smith, 68, utilised East Midlands Airport’s rapid drop-off zone to ferry his son to the airport and later returned to collect him after his trip earlier this summer.
Having forked out the required £5 fee on both occasions, Mr Smith was “confused” when he subsequently received parking fines totalling £200, as he was under the impression he had adhered to the airport’s parking regulations and paid the necessary fees for each visit.
The airport’s drop-off zone operates using a barrier-free Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera system, allowing drivers to pull up directly outside the terminal building for added convenience.
Motorists are charged £5 for stays of up to 15 minutes, with an extra £1 tacked on for every additional minute thereafter, up to a maximum stay of 30 minutes.
Payments can’t be made with cash or at on-site payment machines; instead, users must pay online or by phone no later than midnight on the day following their airport visit.
Mr Smith and his son paid using the app on both the drop-off and pick-up occasions, with the former taking place on June 30.
The dad claimed to have spent nine minutes in the drop-off zone during the outward visit and six minutes during the return trip, with £5 being debited from his account on both occasions.
Yet, he was stung with two £100 fines – which can be reduced to £60 each if settled within 14 days.
Mr Smith told the Nottingham Post : “They took the money on both occasions for the rapid drop-off. We paid on the app, we followed the rules, the money left the account and then they had the cheek to give me £60 fines.
“This isn’t just about me, but about people who might not have a phone or who are just stuck in a bit of a bubble. I think it’s so unfair.
“It was my first time going to East Midlands Airport and it was very confusing. I think they need to make it a lot simpler for people.”
While Mr Smith paid for the stays, the Nottingham Post understands he may have breached a different payment regulation.
Our sister paper understands the penalties were issued because Mr Smith allegedly made the payment while still within the rapid drop-off zone.
An East Midlands Airport spokesperson said: “We introduced an improved layout and clear signage last year which we’re satisfied provides a better customer experience.”
A spokesperson for the parking firm APCOA said: “Customers are advised on the payment screen that vehicles must have left the drop off area before a payment is made. Customers then have until midnight the following day to pay for their visit.”
Mr Smith’s first penalty has already been cancelled.
He’s now awaiting a response from APCOA regarding the second fine, and has vowed not to pay it but, rather, to be ready to “fight it in court if I have to”.
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