A MAN has criticised the "predatory" parking company that fined him £50 for parking where it should have been free.

Martyn Dowell parked in West Quay Retail Park for less than half an hour, which does not cost anything.

However, because he didn't get a free ticket from the parking machine, he came out of Curry's to find an inspector writing him a ticket.

The 73-year-old said: "It's entrapment of the most cynical kind. 

"It says on the sign 30 minutes free. They put the bit about the ticket in tiny script in the hope that you won't see it.

"If they wanted you to comply with this instruction, they would have used letters of the same size as the line above, but of course they don't.

"They are hoping that you will miss this and park for 30 minutes believing that it really is free."

Daily Echo: Pay and display at West Quay Retail ParkPay and display at West Quay Retail Park

The retired teacher said he was out of his car for all of 12 minutes, according to the notice, but was fined anyway.

Before paying, he objected to Britannia Parking, which runs the car park, but with no success.

"They got back and said they did not accept the objection, that I had breached the terms of the car park and I have got to pay £50," he said.

Daily Echo: Martyn Dowell, 73Martyn Dowell, 73

However, he says he was later told the company would refund the ticket "as a gesture of goodwill", but a month later this has not happened.

"I will not park there or anywhere else they operate. I think their way of doing things is predatory. They are hoping that you make a mistake.

"It's an underhand way of business."

The Daily Echo reached out to Britannia Parking for comment, but the company did not respond.

In Southampton, Britannia also runs the Triangle Car Park (Platform Road), The Mitre (Abbotts Way), West End Brewery, Southampton Airport Parking, and parking on New Road near Solent University.

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