The furious driver has been left “disgusted”, vowing to “never set foot” in the restaurant again.
‘I was fined £100 for browsing the menu in restaurant car park’ (Image: SWNS)
A driver has been left furious after being fined £100 for overstaying in a restaurant car park while he browsed the menu. Christian Wolstencroft, 52, stayed seven minutes too long after pulling into the OK Diner in Leominster, Herefordshire, for a late lunch.
The business trainer said he was about to enter the restaurant when he received a call telling him his elderly mother had been rushed to hospital. He immediately drove home to pack and head to Bolton, Greater Manchester, to visit his 82-year-old mum, only to receive a £100 penalty notice from Smart Parking Ltd two weeks later. CCTV pictures show Mr Wolstencroft’s black Porsche entering the car park at 3.47pm on September 30. He was pictured again leaving the car park 17 minutes later at 4.04pm.
Mr Wolstencroft’s Porsche was seen leaving the car park seven minutes later than he should have (Image: SWNS)
Mr Wolstencroft is refusing to pay the fine and said he is “disgusted” by the parking firm’s “lack of compassion”.
He said: “I’ve been to OK Diner several times before and was looking forward to going for a burger for a late lunch. When I pulled into the car park, I got my phone out and looked at the menu so I could order as soon as I went inside.
“I was about to go inside when my dad rang me to say my mum was in hospital. She’s not been doing so good, and I needed to make some more calls and calm my dad down, so I left the car park and went home to pack.
“When the letter from the parking company dropped on my mat two weeks later, I was absolutely shocked. I contacted the company and explained why I was seven minutes over the 10-minute grace period, but they didn’t care.
“I am disgusted that they have shown no compassion whatsoever. The car park wasn’t even full, and I would’ve gone back to eat, but I’ll never step foot in the place now.”
Since April last year, customers have 10 minutes to park and register their vehicle with staff. Because Mr Wolstencroft was browsing the menu on his phone in the car, he overran the grace period by seven minutes.
Smart Parking Ltd said the rules were intended to “stop parking abuse and ensure genuine customers can always find somewhere to park.”
A spokesperson said: “The car park at the OK Dinner is private land, and motorists should always check the terms and conditions of use before deciding to park.”
“At the OK Diner, there is no free parking between the hours of 9pm and 9am, and this is clearly highlighted on numerous signs positioned across the site.
“For customers who park within the correct hours, they simply need to update the terminal in the OK Diner to secure free parking.”
Dafydd Lawrie, the director of OK Diner, said they had experienced “major issues” with parking from non-customers at the site. He added that the restrictions are communicated on “several clear signs.”
