I’m writing regarding the recent articles you have been running regarding parking fines issued at Borehamwood Shopping Park.

I visited the park on December 1 last year in my lunch hour, did some shopping and left just under an hour later. Later in the day, I remembered something else and returned at around 3.40pm staying about half-an-hour. A few days later I received a charge from ParkingEye stating that I entered the park at 12.09pm and hadn’t left until 4.05pm. When I called them on the first instance to query this I was told that if I could prove I had spent more than £30 they would cancel the ticket there and then.

They also said there was no return within four hours which is why I had received the ticket. The signs at the car park clearly state no return within one hour so I called them again and they said they would look into the matter for me.

I heard nothing for at least a month and so assumed the matter had been dealt with. Shortly after, I started reading articles in the Borehamwood & Elstree Times with similar stories.

This week I received a reminder from ParkingEye. I called and asked what had happened and they said I had definitely not left the car park between the times stated. I informed them that I had gone back to my office car park at 1.08pm and swiped in electronically and I had the computer print out to prove this. I also collected my children from school at 3.15pm so my car definitely could not have been in their car park.

The man I spoke to basically had no interest and said that I had to pay — I told him there was no way I was paying for something I hadn’t done and I was happy to go to court over this – to which he put the phone down on me.

Having reseached ParkingEye on the internet, there seem to be many chat forums from irate drivers who have been fined unjustly— most have also said that if you refuse to pay you will not be taken to court. I would urge anyone who receives a fine to think twice before paying.

Nicola Grimes, Burghley Avenue