Ticket the old, they'll always pay: How the ruthless parking cowboys tell their wardens to exploit the vulnerable Daily Mail Parking Campaign

  War veterans, great-grandmothers and vulnerable hospital patients are singled out in 'unjust and immoral' practice 

  Dozens of elderly drivers tell Mail how they are being threatened and pursued by bailiffs over minor parking queries

  Many have fallen victim to a string of 'dirty tricks' with companies said to use intentionally small warnings on signs

  Scroll down to print off your free 'Get Lost Parking Pirates' sign, and for details on how to receive a sticker by post

‘There is a veil of secrecy about the business practices of private car park operators that needs to be lifted. 

THE BULLY TACTICS

·         Unclear or missing signage on parking machines, making it difficult to buy the correct ticket

·         Overly complicated pay machines

·         Hefty fines for mistakes such as entering the wrong registration details into pay-and-display machines

·         Wardens allegedly instructed to never give information about the motorist’s rights to appeal 

·         Information about how to appeal is written on tickets in tiny font, making it difficult for elderly people to read

·         Tiny signs warning against leaving car parks to get change to buy a ticket

·         Penalising drivers for resting too long at motorway service stations – despite the risks of driving when tired

‘What’s needed is independent and effective regulation of the private car parking industry, which puts the consumer interest first.’

AA president Edmund King added: ‘We think some of the signage is really confusing in order to catch out elderly drivers as they are an easy target. 

‘The companies know they won’t appeal if threatened with bailiffs and legal letters. It is unacceptable these companies are targeting them.’

Claims that wardens are hounding the elderly come after the Mail revealed hundreds of thousands of drivers are being ‘fined’ by private parking firms, often with little reason and without legal authority.

Signs are often difficult to make out and payment machines can be complicated, involving keying the driver’s number plate into a computer system.

Whistleblower Tony Taylor, who worked for one of the firms until December, said bosses told wardens to focus on ticketing pensioners.

The company – UK Parking Control – runs car parks for NHS hospitals, Royal Mail and a number of high street shops and restaurants, including McDonalds and Marks & Spencer.

Mr Taylor said: ‘The wardens are told to target the elderly and disabled. The elderly are likely to pay.

Read more here:

Further Reading:

The wardens on £3k bonuses urged to issue scores of parking tickets daily, target vulnerable people and take photographs at angles to make offences seem worse