Motorist issued parking ticket despite explaining she could not charge electric car

A motorist who struggled to charge her electric car at Rochdale town hall has been issued a parking ticket, despite taking every measure to explain the situation.

Beverley Whiteside parked her electric car in a designated bay at the town hall on 9 October, as everywhere was full and attempted to connect the charger, which she says wasn’t working.

Undeterred, Beverley got a display ticket and put a note in her car to say the charger wasn’t working, before seeking out a traffic warden on the car park to explain the situation.

She then went to Natwest bank for around 10 minutes, where she deposited a large sum of money from a Macmillan coffee morning.

Upon returning to her car, Beverley found she had been issued a ticket immediately by the traffic warden she had spoken to.

 

 

Beverley said: “Unfortunately, I didn’t take photos of the charger. I genuinely thought that by seeking out an attendant and being truthful it would be okay, especially as I told him why I was going to the bank.

“Do you think this is fair, that I was parked in a correct designated space but struggled to charge my car for ten minutes while I deposited a large amount of money for charity?”

She has unsuccessfully appealed the decision, despite providing photos of her ticket, the note and the bank receipt, which show how brief her visit was.

Andrew Storey, the council’s head of highways, said: “It’s up to motorists to check parking terms and conditions, which are clearly set out in all of our car parks, whenever they leave their vehicles.

“The parking spaces used by this driver are for charging electrical vehicles only and there is nothing to suggest the charging points were not working on the day in question.

“There are many free parking spaces available in Rochdale town centre, most only a short walk away from the bank in question.”