Leeds man furious at receiving 'crazy' £100 parking fine after donating blood at Mercure hotel

Rob Bridgewater said that he registered his car while giving blood at the Mercure Leeds Parkway Hotel in Adel on February 26 and was shocked to receive a £100 parking fine in the post weeks later.

Mr Bridgewater appealed the decision to the company that operates the hotel’s car park - Smart Parking - but it was rejected.

The company has responded saying that it checked its systems and found there was “no validation” made against Mr Bridgewater’s vehicle.

Mr Bridgewater said that he went to donate blood at around 6.30pm and registered his car on a machine inside the hotel but that he didn’t receive a receipt.

He said that he was at the site for between half an hour and 45 minutes and that weeks after he left he received the £100 parking fine, which would be reduced to £60 if it was paid within two weeks.

He said: “I was annoyed to say the least. Considering I was doing something as selfless as giving blood - it’s not what you expect.

“I looked online and saw that the same thing had happened to others.”

His appeal to Smart Parking was rejected so he said that he is now looking at going to the independent appeals body for parking charge notices - POPLA.

Mr Bridgewater said: “If my appeal has been rejected it might help to know they have got some negative publicity.”

A spokesperson for Smart Parking said: “The car park at Mercure Leeds Parkway Hotel has clear signage throughout advising motorists on how to use the car park. This signage is approved by the British Parking Association and provides guidance on how to use the car park responsibly.

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“The motorist received a parking charge notice for failing to register their vehicle for the duration of their stay.

“We can confirm, having checked our systems, no validation was made against the motorist’s vehicle registration and there were no issues with tablet validations throughout the day, as other motorists were successfully validating their stay.

“Smart Parking operates an audited appeals process which we would encourage motorists to use if they have mitigating circumstances for breaking the rules of the car park. 

“All motorists are also entitled to a further appeal via POPLA, the independent body which reviews all cases."