Crown Point: Leeds man fumes at receiving parking ticket that states he spent nearly seven hours at retail park

Darren Luckhurst has complained about the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras used at Crown Point in Leeds after receiving the parking fine. He said that when he went to complain about the charge at the shopping site he met another man there who had received a fine after quickly returning some shoes and an elderly woman who boycotted the centre for seven months after receiving a penalty for allegedly staying on site for eight hours.

Mr Luckhurt, who is a full-time carer for his son, received the fine after making two separate trips to buy items for his family’s Christmas Dinner from Iceland Food Warehouse on December 12. He said that he first arrived at 11.56am before leaving the site and returning home. He said that he picked his children up from school at 3.15pm and then at around 6pm his partner asked him to return to the Iceland store to buy a slow cooker, which he did before leaving again at 6.47pm. He said that he received the parking charge a few days later for £100 – which would be reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days – from the company that runs the ANPR cameras, UKPC, saying that he spent six hours and 50 minutes on the site.

The Crown Point website states that “visitors are entitled to use the site for three hours, but staying for longer than three hours will result in a parking ticket being issued”.

Mr Luckhurst, who said that he entered and exited Crown Point through two separate points on each occasion, said: “I was not parked for that long and they should have footage of my vehicle leaving the site around 1pm.

"I went to Crown Point and tried to speak to the management team but they refused, saying it was nothing to do with them. While I was there I met a guy who had spent 12 minutes returning some shoes and when he got back there was a parking ticket on his car.”

Mr Luckhurst said that he sent a letter to UKPC contesting the fine and providing receipts of his two separate purchases at the Iceland Food Warehouse but has not yet heard back. He said: "I refuse to pay it because I wasn’t there. I think it’s disgusting that they are targeting people doing their Christmas shopping and during a cost of living crisis.

"They are a shambolic company. It’s just more added stress.”

He added that he received a separate parking fine previously of £170 from UKPC when he pulled in to Crossgates during the coronavirus lockdowns after his car began overheating, which he has also not paid. He said: "I would like to shame Crown Point and this company for not doing their job properly and for taking money from people who have done nothing wrong.”

Cross Point Shopping Place and UKPC have been contacted for a statement.