Parking company refuses to clarify if camera is faulty after Derry motorist mistakenly issued £100 fine

A parking company which operates in Derry has refused to clarify whether there is a fault with one of its cameras after a motorist was mistakenly issued a £100 fine.

The man was issued with the fine by Smart Parking, for ‘unauthorised parking’ at the Lesley Retail Park at the Strand Road on March 16.

The letter stated that the man had arrived at the site on that date at 7.30am, and did not leave until after six hours later at 1.45pm.

Smart Parking currently operate a two-hour waiting limit at Lesley Retail Park, imposing £100 fines on motorists who stay longer.

Motorists are given the option of paying a £60 fine within 14 days.

However, the man issued the fine is a taxi driver, and his office’s records show that rather than parking at the retail park for over six hours, he had entered and exited the site after picking up passengers on two different occasions that day.

The Derry News contacted Smart Parking to ask whether there was fault with the CCTV cameras it uses to detect parking contraventions at the site on the Strand Road, which houses a gym and a toy store.

The Derry News also asked the company if it could give assurances to people that it would not issue parking fines to people who stayed within the two-hour limit.

However, Smart Parking did not respond to our requests.

Speaking to the Derry News, Willie Doherty, manager of City Cabs, said that while it could provide its driver with the evidence needed to contest the fine, members of the public did not have that facility available to them.

“It’s very concerning that they have issued this parking fine, when it’s quite clear that this driver was there for a short period at both times recorded on the camera,” he said.

“We are able to provide him with the information that proves that a mistake has been made here, but a member of the public who finds themselves in the same situation does not have that option.”