Review of private parking rules triggers £2,000 five-minute fines

Private parking companies have pledged to update their rules to ensure motorists are not penalized if they park without paying within five minutes.

Last year, motorist Rosey Hudson was taken to court after being fined £1,906 for taking more than five minutes to pay for parking in Derby.

Ms Hudson left her car to find a phone signal so she could pay for a space using the app and received 10 parking charge notifications in a matter of days.

Now, two industry bodies say they will amend the code of conduct to “protect genuine motorists” and “reflect technological advances”.

The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) have announced that a group will amend the code of practice for the private parking industry to ensure it “protects genuine motorists who struggle to pay on time”.

The BPA said its first priority was an urgent review of Ms Hudson's case, known as the five-minute payment rule.

It said a revised version of the code to address payment difficulties would come into effect in February 2025, with a full review expected to take place in April the following year.

Ms Hudson is one of several people taken to court by private car park operator Excel Parking.

December, Excel dropped the lawsuit against her No explanation and did the same thing Garry Kay parked in the same parking lot in Derby and prepare to face a £255 fine.

In November, analysis of government data by the RAC Foundation found that private parking companies issued an average of 41,000 parking tickets a day.

Each fine can be up to £100, meaning the maximum total driver earnings from fines will be £4.1 million per day.

A bill to introduce a government-backed code of conduct for private parking companies received royal assent in 2019 but was withdrawn in June 2022 after parking companies launched a legal challenge.

The code includes a £50 cap on most fines, a grace period for late arrivals and a fairer appeals system.

In June, the BPA and IPC published their own code of conduct, which will be overseen by the new group.

BPA chief executive Andrew Pester said the move to introduce the group showed private parking companies were “serious about raising standards but also making decisive changes to the specification when issues arise”.

IPC chief executive Will Hurley said the group “demonstrates the industry's commitment to improving the industry's reputation”.