I’ve been slapped with parking fines outside my shop even though I have a permit & always pay charge – it’s a disgrace
A SHOPKEEPER has been left furious after being slapped with multiple parking fines, despite saying he has a permit.
James Edwards, who runs the Farm to Folk farm shop in Exeter, Devon, says that parking wardens don’t even check his permit before giving him tickets and that he has to tell them that he has one “on a daily basis”.
James racked up charges for parking his delivery van outside his shop, but says that earlier this year the council let him use a daily trade permit as costs began to mount.
Even when there are no parking spaces on that street, forcing him to park in nearby Ewings Square where the permit is not valid, he insists he always pays the pay and display charges.
Despite this, he says he is still regularly hit with fines, with traffic wardens not bothering to check his permit or entering the wrong registration.
He evens claims that when he used the pay and display system, he was given a fine because his ticket had “blown over” on the dashboard.
Another warden apparently recommended he park in a nearby car park, but James says that would involve carrying a 25kg sack of potatoes up and down the steps on a regular basis.
He said: “At the moment, as a small business, I just can’t afford to keep paying all these tickets. I feel really victimised and harassed.
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“I have this conversation almost on a daily basis with them that I’ve
got an account, I’ve got a permit, there’s nowhere for me to park,
this is all I can do.
“I’ve asked them what they can suggest and they
don’t come up with anything they just say ‘you can’t park there’.”
There are two spaces next to his shop, but one belongs to the charity next door, who let him park there when it is not being used, while the other is unusable as it would block their fire exit.
James has filed a complaint with the council but says he has only received an automated response.
He says he has called them every day this week but keeps being redirected to different departments.
He added: “It all just feels like it’s constantly against you.”
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A spokesperson for Devon County Council said: “We can’t comment on individual cases but our parking enforcement officers follow
procedures based on national guidance to deliver a fair and consistent approach to on-street parking across Devon.
“Anyone receiving a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) can appeal.”