New Parking Regulations

We've all had that sinking feeling when you get back to your car, look at the windscreen and you see a dreaded yellow parking ticket. Or maybe you've had a letter through the door demanding £100 because you were just a couple of minutes late getting back to your car, or accidentally typed the wrong number plate into the machine.

Accidents happen, but sometimes it feels like these big private parking companies are just waiting for you to make a simple mistake.

Today, the Government has announced new rules to give motorists a fairer deal and stop people being hit with unreasonable charges for honest mistakes.

You'll soon get 5 minutes to decide whether to park, without worrying about being charged while you find a space or check the signs. You'll also have 10 minutes to leave, so you won't face a charge simply because you're a few minutes late getting out of the car park.

There'll also be protection when things go wrong. For instance, if your car breaks down, there's a medical emergency or the ticket machine isn't working, you'll be able to get unfair charges cancelled on appeal. And for certain genuine mistakes, such as entering the wrong registration number or forgetting your parking permit, the charge will be capped at £20 following an appeal.

We're also introducing tougher rules for parking companies, with proper consequences for operators who don't follow the new standards.

I'm not suggesting people shouldn't pay for parking or that there shouldn't be rules. Of course there should. But we all know there's a big difference between someone deliberately avoiding paying and someone making an honest mistake.

These new protections aren't in force just yet, but the Government expects the new code to be published by the end of the year, with a short transition period for parking companies.

It's a really welcome step towards making parking fairer for everyone and putting an end to some of the ridiculous charges that have left motorists feeling ripped off for far too long.