Deliveroo driver wrongly fined at St Michael’s Retail Park

On June 10, Luke Sinclair made two visits to Nando’s at St Michael’s Retail park to collect customer orders.

Knowing he would only be stopping for 10 minutes on both occasions, he thought nothing of using the short stay car park, which has a 30 minute limit.

However, he was left “upset” when a few days later, he received notice that the car park’s operator, PCM, had issued him with a £40 fine for allegedly staying for an hour and forty minutes - the approximate time between entering the car park for his first collection, and leaving after his second.

With the help of his dad, Lee, he decided to appeal the fine, which turned out to be a long struggle which saw his fine increase to £70.

Lee told the Gazette: “Pretty much all the money he earned that day would have been wiped out by the charge!”

Luke, who was working as a delivery driver temporarily after being made redundant during the coronavirus pandemic, appealed to both PCM and the Independent Appeal Service (IAS).

But his explanations were rejected, and Lee said that Luke “felt he had no choice” but to pay the ticket.

However, when he remembered that the data on his Google Maps and Deliveroo apps proved his movements that day, he contacted PCM again.

Despite the evidence, he claims the company initially “wouldn’t back down” and it took more than a month before the fine was eventually reversed.

Lee continued: “Too many times people are forced into paying things they shouldn’t have to. PCM UK are notorious in how they chase parking tickets, and I think this needs to be highlighted.”

Luke added: “The whole situation has been quite stressful but I’m pleased that it’s now over.

“I feel for other delivery drivers who may have fallen foul of PCM.”

It comes just months after the Gazette reported on multiple calls for better signage, after several residents found themselves facing significant fines because they were unaware of the 30 minute limit.

PCM did not respond to requests for comment.