Queuing to use a car wash at a petrol station could land you with a £100 fine - with a number of motorists already caught out by the rules.
According to PetrolPrices.com , a number of garages - especially BP and Shell - now have CCTV cameras to catch drivers who stay at their sites for too long.
The new rules mean drivers legitimately stopping to use the facilities have been hit with £100 penalties - issued by private parking firms.
According to the site, there have been reports of penalties being dished out across the country in recent months.
PetrolPrices ' Lisa Board said: "A motorist using the Shell forecourt in Kilburn received a £100 demand from Euro Car Parks for staying longer than their 20-minute limit and, last week, a driver got a £100 demand after she exceeded the maximum stay at a Shell garage near me. In both cases, the delays arose from queuing for the on-site car washes.
"Time limits are a problem at BP petrol stations, too. A recent recipient of one of these demands used the BP garage on Mitcham Road in Croydon, south London. After paying for his fuel, the driver recalled queuing behind around six vehicles to use the car wash but later received a letter threatening debt recovery agents when he didn’t pay a £100 parking charge demand by MET Parking Services from him staying past the permitted 30 minutes limit."
The site reports the story of another driver who queued for petrol, used an on-site shop then vaccuumed their car - and was hit with a £100 penalty.
A spokesman for MET Parking Services told PetrolPrices: "We would encourage any motorist who believes they were issued with a charge notice incorrectly to appeal using our BPA [British Parking Association] audited appeals process. Motorists have the right to appeal to the independent appeals service, Popla [Parking on Private Land appeals], which is a free and easy to use service."
Shell told PetrolPrices the parking restrictions were introduced to make the system fairer for everyone, and advises drivers to park in the correct bays rather than queue to avoid penalties.
The rules state that signs must be clear, visible and simple to understand in order for penalties to be valid.
