A parking bay in Putney, London was in operation from 1200-1600 and then reverted to being a loading bay. I bought my parking ticket at 1500 for 1 hour but was 20 mins late back to my car.

When I returned at 1620 my new (1 day old) Lexus RX350 was not there. I luckily flagged down a random passing tow truck who gave me a number for the local pound (in Surrey!!!).

I got to the pound and was charge £200 for the towing and £60 for the parking fine.

I agree that I should have been fined (being 20 mins late to the car) but I thought that they had to give you 30mins before towing you after issuing a penalty charge notice.

I have calls logged to the car pound at 1625 proving the car was towed within 30 minutes.

So I am £260 down and have written in challenging the £200 tow.

Has anyone else got any experience of this or advice?

Many thanks.

i could understand you being ****** at 1 or 2 mins...5 at a push, but 20 mins late.....

Only found out it reverted to a loading bay after the event - I actually thought I was completely fine after 1600. Different sign on another post stating it was a loading bay as well after 1600...

Happy with the fine, my own stupid fault - But p***** at being towed...

The limit maybe 30 mins in a street parking space, but probably not in a Loading Bay which the space then became.....

Google parking ticket/tow away as there are sites that specialize in fighting unfair tickets, and would probably know the
correct restrictions to the letter of the law, rather than any of us guessing.

Regardless mate, best of luck with it, & BTW welcome to LOC

Can only blame yourself really as you knew you bought a 1 hour ticket and you were 20 mins late....bet you dont do that again!!.......good luck on the appeal, though i dont hold out much luck on that front either.

Wandsworth coucil have just informed me I have grounds for appeal as they lifted the car 5 minutes too early !!! I'll keep you posted on how it goes...

You have my sympathy man, fight it all the way!

I got done in Wandsworth, but not towed. Payed £2 an hour to park on a normail residential street, 4 hours in a row I came out and put my money in. Then was 6 mins late and BAM! Fine.

You London boys would love it down here. I park outside my shop every day, 9 hours a day on one of the main roads in Exeter's city centre. It is pay and display @ 70p per half hour, but I never pay. Once or twice a week, a traffic warden will stick his head round the door, and i'll go put 70p in. Or more often just drive around the block until he's gone! Never have I seen a warden more that once a day.

Some may say this is wrong. But if had payed my money every time, thats 9 hours a day, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year, for 5 years, it would have cost me well over £15,000.

[b]YES, FIFTEEN GRAND![/b]

Now tell me what is wrong!

You may ask how many fines I have picked up over the last 5 years (can't be more than £15k, right?).

NONE! (On the particular strech of road in question, that is!) Not a penny.

that's a proper result mate if it works out about the 5 mins too early.....

As a Wandsworth resident i feel for you. I used to live on the training route for the traffice wardens as i was right by the Town hall. I got a parking ticket the other day for not filling in my number plate correctly on a 1hr Zone pass in my window. I'd smudged the bloody pen while writing!!!!! Also on another parking ticket i paid it online and they refused to acknowledge that paid and doubled the fine!

Its really silly - i'm against the fact that they outsource their "Civil Enforcement Officers" to other companies. To my mind its in a way like contracting out the police force!! Well maybe not that serious.

Good luck on the appeal and welcome to LOC