EFFORTS by a pub to prevent rogue parking have left its owners red faced and paying off fines of loyal customers.
Husband and wife Peter and Donna Barrow drove to the Red Lion in Alvechurch, for a celebratory dinner to mark their 26th wedding anniversary.
They enjoyed a pleasant evening but the memory of it turned sour when a week later a fine for £85 – dropping to £50 if paid within a fortnight – came through their door from Euro Car Parks, stating they were ‘in breach of the terms and conditions of parking’.
The couple had only been at the pub for 89 minutes.
I couldn’t believe it, we’d had a really nice meal but it certainly turned into an expensive evening out,” said Peter.
“I admit there were signs in the car park, but there are hundreds of signs put in front of us every day and I didn’t think anything of them.”
Peter and Donna had fallen foul of new measures by Mitchell & Butlers, owners of the Red Lion, to stop non-customers using the pub car park.
M&B claimed they began telling customers about the changes ‘around two months ago’ but failed to calibrate Euro Car Parks’s number plate recognition cameras correctly and then put up the wrong signs.
The introduction of the scheme was certainly news to Mr Barrow, who counts the Red Lion as his local: “I was blissfully unaware until the fine came through the post,” he said.
When contacted by the Standard, M&B said: “When the car parking management was introduced there was an error in the activation, meaning the charges/fine restrictions and signage were both incorrect. The signage will be updated asap to reflect the correct details.
“ There is a three hour ‘free parking’ allowance for the car park. Any guests wanting to stay over three hours, or leave their car overnight can simply input their registration details in the pub and the free parking will continue.”
M&B apologised to any affected guests and confirmed all their fine notices have been voided.
Mr Barrow, who has already paid the fine said: “I have sent an email off to M&B saying I am one of the people affected and I’m still waiting to hear back from them.”
