A young mother was hit with an €80 fine after being trapped for an hour and a half trying to exit a Tesco car park during the recent heatwave.
Ellie Brierley, 21, saw her appeal rejected after she was stuck trying to leave the car park on Sunday, August 7, for ninety minutes thanks to match-day traffic near the supermarket.
After finally exiting the car park and making it home, Ellie says she received a €80 car parking fine from Horizon Parking a few days later, reduced to €80 if she paid in 14 days.
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The mother-of-two, from Fairfield in Manchester, got caught up in Manchester United match traffic spilling over from nearby Old Trafford.
Her two boys, who are aged 20 months and nine months and were in the car with her at the time, said the air conditioning wasn't working and temperatures inside her car reached 32 degrees.
Ellie, who says she was shopping for just over an hour in Tesco, appealed but says her appeal has been rejected.
She told the Manchester Evening News that she even drove in the wrong direction before eventually exiting.
The mum says the parking time is normally three hours but is reduced to 90 minutes on match days. But she says she had only just returned from her holiday and wasn't aware the match was taking place, and says it wasn't advertised on the LED board.
She says: "I was shocked at the decision and I am just upset that they are trying to force me to pay something I should not have to pay."
Ellie did not keep her receipt as proof of shopping as she had not anticipated getting a fine, but says she collected Tesco club points on the day and paid for her shopping with a bank card.
She says she now plans to re-appeal.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “There is a time limit of three hours and two hours on match days for the car park of our Stretford Extra store to help make sure everyone is able to find a space. We are always happy to review cases where a customer feels they have received a penalty charge in error."
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