Private parking companies like to threaten county court judgments, but they are only issued if a case actually goes to court and the judge decides in favour of the parking company (Private car parks: UK drivers seek justice as penalties hit record, 18 January).
My experience of this process was sitting in a court for 40 minutes, trying not to laugh as the judge gave the parking company’s lawyer a severe telling-off. The company was ordered to pay me £150, and the defeat was so humiliating for them that they opted against pursuing another claim six months later.
A well-written defence – with plenty of photos to prove poor signage, broken payment machines and contract terms that are so unfair as to be unenforceable – is a very effective means of winning in court against these companies. In the absence of meaningful legislation, it appears that county court judges, being fair-minded people who understand what these companies are, will rule in favour of drivers when given the chance to do so.
Alexander Treryth
Bugle, Cornwall
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