STOURBRIDGE’S MP has met up with a Wollaston couple who have had their £100 parking charge cancelled after she intervened on their behalf.

Suzanne Webb is now warning people to seek advice if they are sent a ticket by private parking firms and believe it is unfair, following the experience of Graham and Valerie Beckley.

The couple turned to the MP for help after receiving a parking ticket after stopping off in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, as they returned from holiday in September.

During the stop they parked up and went to pay, only to discover the ticket machine was out of service.

Assuming the operators would have known the machine was broken, they were shocked to receive a £60 parking charge notice a couple of weeks later by post from Parkingeye.

Graham, aged 79, emailed the company to explain the situation but the fine remained, and in fact increased, and two subsequent appeals proved unsuccessful.

Frustrated at the situation, the couple - who had luckily taken a picture of the broken machine - decided to raise the issue after Christmas with their MP who contacted the chief executive of Parkingeye.

Suzanne has since revealed that within two hours the company responded and said it would cancel the ticket.

She said: “I was glad I could get this parking charge notice cancelled for them after weeks of worry.

“When someone cannot pay at a machine then it cannot be right that they receive a ticket, and I am pleased Parkingeye saw sense and acted so quickly to right this wrong.

“The rules and regulations around private parking and parking fines can sometimes be difficult to understand or simply stacked against the person who has been fined.”

She urged people who feel they have been wrongly fined for parking to seek advice and she added: “Martin Lewis’s Money Saving Expert website is a good source.”

Mr Beckley said: “We were naive, totally, when we parked and could not pay by cash or card as the equipment displayed it was out of service.

“Charges followed in the post, £60 rising to £100. We appealed on two occasions, unsuccessfully. Legal threats ensued. It was only when we got in touch with our MP who in turn communicated with Parkingeye, then the company involved quickly conceded.”

A spokesperson for Parkingeye said: “The St Benedict’s Court car park in Huntingdon features 14 prominent and highly-visible signs providing information on how to use the car park responsibly.

“This includes guidance on how motorists can pay by phone or through the available on-site payment kiosks.

“The motorist correctly received a parking charge due to entering the car park and not making a payment for their stay. Despite one of the payment kiosks being out of order on the day, there were still other methods available for payment, including a further kiosk and the PayByPhone app.

“However, following a review of the case we have cancelled as a gesture of goodwill.

“We would add that Parkingeye operates a BPA (British Parking Association) audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal their parking charge. If anyone has mitigating circumstances, we would encourage them to highlight this by appealing.”