Parking firm apologises over incorrect charges

A parking enforcement business has apologised to people who were "incorrectly" charged.

Changes introduced at the East of England Co-op in Framlingham, Suffolk, in August, mean customers need to input their number-plate into a terminal inside the store for free parking.

Ipserv, which administers the charges on behalf of the supermarket, said it was aware "a number" of charges were "issued incorrectly" due to a "fault with one of the customer registration tablets".

It said it "sincerely" apologised to people affected and was in the process of cancelling the fees.

Ipserv said the fault with the system was believed to have affected customers from 6-11 September.

"While some customer registrations were successfully recorded during this time, others were not transmitted correctly, resulting in some motorists receiving parking charge notices in error," a statement from the business said.

It said it was writing to all those affected to "confirm that no further action is required on their part".

The new parking system advertises 90 minutes' of free parking for people who buy something in the store, with charges of £2 for two hours and £3 for three hours.

The Co-op said the changes were to "ensure spaces remain available for members and customers visiting our store".

In February, the East of England Co-op apologised to customers after signs were "inadvertently put up" advertising new parking charges.

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