Friends and family who attended the ’emotional’ funeral at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Winsford, Cheshire, were sent a £100 fine in the post by the company who managed the car park
A parking firm has apologised after mourners were slapped with £100 parking fines for attending a funeral – with even the driver of the funeral car being told they needed to cough up.
Friends and family who had attended the service at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Winsford, Cheshire, on December 18 were said to have left shocked received the penalty charge notice in the post a few days later.
The blunder came despite a volunteer calling management company, Creative Car Park, to tell them they wanted the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera at the church’s car park turned off the funeral.
READ MORE: Furious homeowners charged £21k a year for services including ‘terrorism insurance’READ MORE: He parked his car outside his own house and woke up to £35 problem
A representative from the firm is then said to have told assured them that a ‘blackout’ would be in place around this time – but this was never put in place. Local media said at least 10 mourners said they were later given £100 fines for parking in the church car park.
Two of them agreed to pay up, as the letter said this would be reduced to £60 for quick resolution. The memorial was attended by around 60 people.
Fines were also issued for the funeral limousine and for the funeral director, who used his own car. Volunteer Martin Ashley said the church complained to the company after being told about what had happened.
He said he rang them “10 times” in one day but only managing to get through to the answerphone. He added that some mourners had paid up “because they were scared” on what “was already an emotional day”.
Martin revealed that the church was now looking at terminating its contract with the parking firm. He told the Northwich Guardian : “The fact is, money has been taken and letters were sent out when they shouldn’t have been.
“What would have happened if we had not got involved and tried to sort their mess out? I am trying to get this company to remove the system because I am now at a stage now where I have had enough.”
The Mirror has approached Creative Car Park, who are understood to have apologised to the church privately, for comment.
