A grandmother slapped with a £100 parking fine after taking over an hour to eat a KFC meal with her family has had it overturned.
Maxine Horton was so angry about the penalty - issued as she overstayed the car park's maximum stay time by just eighteen minutes - that she contacted the US boss of the fried chicken chain to complain.
She told Kentucky-based Tony Lowings, the global chief executive for the fast food restaurant, that the parking restrictions were too tight, especially when trying to feed and water a brood of youngsters - in hope that he would overturn the fine.
She told him: "It is virtually impossible to get a horde of children parked, disembarked, settled, choose a meal, choose a dessert, use the loo and out within one hour.
"Do you think there is anything you can do about this?"
To her surprise she received an email back from the KFC customer service department confirming her fine had been quashed.
The reply stated: "Hi Maxine, thank you for your patience in waiting for us to get back to you.
"I can confirm that the parking charge has been cancelled."
Mrs Horton went to the KFC restaurant in Poole, Dorset, on April 26 this year, with her daughter Miranda, and grandchildren, Qisara, 8, and 10-year-old Zavian.
She claims the youngsters had just recovered from scarlet fever, and the outing was one of the first times they had been able to leave their house.
But things turned sour weeks later when she received a parking penalty from Euro Car Parks stating she had broken Wessex Gate Retail Park's one hour car park limit.
She said: "We went in, they chose what they wanted to eat.
"We came out and we were exactly an hour and 18 mins in the car park.
"I didn't think anything more about it, went home, then I got a Euro Car Park's 'notice to keeper' for a £100 charge."
Mrs Horton, from Poole, has since taken to displaying a banner at the KFC outlet to warn other customers of the strict parking time limits.
Euro Car Parks were unavailable to comment.
