A motorist said he was “flabbergasted” at being handed a parking fine after taking a drive-through coronavirus test.
Geoff Pugh, 52, was hit with the £90 penalty after taking his family for a throat and mouth swab at Edmonton Green Shopping Centre in north London on July 7.
He said he "didn't leave the car the whole time" whilst he was parked at the Enfield site - temporarily being used as a testing facility during lockdown.
The photographer from Stoke Newington, east London, said: “At first I thought it was just a genuine fine, so I was about to pay it, but when I looked into where it happened and realised what it was, I was flabbergasted.
“I think it’s completely ridiculous to charge someone for looking after the health of their family, neighbours and work colleagues.
“I didn’t even leave the car the whole time I was there.”
Mr Pugh said he was at the site for 23 minutes with his wife and two children – aged nine and 11 – and followed all of the advice from staff directing him where to go.
His vehicle had been detected by a camera using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) which was situated in the car park.
A Highview Parking spokesman said it would cancel any PCNs issued to visitors “incorrectly”.
The spokesman said: “The car park terms and conditions and the pay-for-parking system and tariff are set by our client – we do not have any involvement in setting these rules, or indeed when they do or do not charge for parking.
“We cannot confirm whether or not the car park has been repurposed by Enfield Council, just that we have been asked to suspend enforcement activity on specific days and times where they have agreed to provide space for Covid testing. However the car park is still being used for retail during this time.
“As these are specific dates, we rely on notification of those dates in advance.
“July 7 was an occasion where we were only notified that the site had been used for Covid testing, more than a week later, and PCNs were already issued.
“We will cancel any PCNs that have been issued to visitors incorrectly on this or any other specified date where testing is taking place.”
