An Edinburgh taxi driver and her three friends were dismayed after they were hit with a £100 parking fine for staying over the time limit at a McDonald's restaurant.
Taxi driver Mary Erskine met up with the three other cabbie friends for the first time in a year to enjoy a quick bite to eat at the Meadowbank branch of the fast food chain.
But instead of enjoying their Big Mac meals, the group were hit with a huge fine, as reported by the Edinburgh Evening News.
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Last week Mary received a letter from UK Parking Control stating she was 11 minutes over the permitted time and would be charged £100.
The letter, sent by the parking company and not McDonald's, said the company would accept a reduced sum of £50 if payment was received within 14 days.
The cabbie says her three friends each received the same parking charge letter, which shows camera footage of her vehicle and associated arrival and departure times at the McDonald’s car park.
The 62-year-old, a taxi driver in Edinburgh for 31 years, said: “I think it’s shocking. We were regular customers and we knew most of the staff there before Covid.
“It’s just not right, and I think the fine itself is really high. That’s them taking £400 for us to eat in McDonald’s.
“McDonald’s are not interested, even though they can confirm we were eating in the restaurant and the years of custom we have given them. We were the only four sitting in that night - it’s absolutely disgusting.”
The taxi drivers decided to meet up to eat, drink and socialise at the McDonald’s restaurant in London Road at around 8pm on Thursday, August 19.
Most have been unable to socialise for more than a year due to strict lockdown regulations introduced under emergency Covid-19 legislation.
Ms Erskine said she was running about 20 minutes late when she got there, that the ordering process took some time and that they were spending time chatting while eating and were not merely sitting about taking up valuable customer space.
She insisted at no point did anyone in the group notice any warning signs about parking restrictions - either in the car park or inside the restaurant.
Ms Erskine continued: “I have never had a parking ticket or driving offence. If I knew there were cameras, this would not have happened. Why do they not let the public know about the cameras?”
A McDonald’s spokesperson said senior staff were attempting to have the fines overturned.
They added: “There is a sign on entry to the car park plus another six signs spread throughout what is a fairly small car park.
"The cameras and signage were installed in early October and went live on 23/10/2020.
"We have got the four license plate numbers and we are speaking with the car parking company to try and have the fines retracted in this particular case.
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