Horsham woman stung with £25 parking fine after missing £1 charge due to ‘confusing’ sign

Jayne Roscoe parked in North Street car park around 4.30pm on August 2 and paid for two hours parking to take her to the end of the regular charging period.

But there is an extra evening charge of £1 to cover 6pm to 8pm which Jayne said she didn’t spot.

And when she returned to her car she had been given a parking ticket – which has cost her £25.

Jayne said: “You just think ‘I’ve have had such a lovely evening out’.

“Coming home, walking up there and there’s my car ticketed. It just takes the joy out of the evening – I just didn’t understand the signage.”

The Horsham District Council website says: “On Monday to Friday, hourly charges apply 8.30am-6pm and there is an evening charge 6pm-8pm

“On Saturday, hourly charges apply 8am-6pm and there is an evening charge 6pm-8pm.”

But Jayne said that the signs in the car park were ‘misleading and confusing’ which caused her not to notice the extra charge.

She added: “A tiny little box to the right hand side says if you’re staying after six [you must pay £1].

“They’re just making an awful lot of money by very bad signage. It should be made clearer.”

A Horsham District Council spokeswoman said: “The council‘s Parking Services team has noted the comments made regarding the parking charges signage in the North Street car park. They will review the wording of the signs and take appropriate action if they deem it is necessary.

“Thankfully these instances are extremely minimal as the current parking charges have been in place for some time.”