A mother was hit with a £100 parking fine nearly three years after the alleged offence and told it’s ‘too late’ to appeal.
Last November, Monika Wentowska received a penalty charge notice (PCN) for an alleged offence dating back to March 2023.
The private tutor, 43, is accused of breaching a ‘no return within four hours’ policy by coming back to the Prospect Way Retail Park in Whitstable, Kent, twice within that time period.
CCTV shows the driver entering the car park on March 27, 2023 at 9.17am before leaving at 9.39am. The same car is then seen returning at 10.14am before exiting some 17 minutes later.
But Ms Wentowska is refusing to pay the ‘ridiculous’ fine after being informed it is ‘too late’ to appeal – almost three years on from the supposed violation.
She claims she was not aware of the rules around returning and has visited the car park countless times since – despite the firm stating there are visible signs reminding drivers about the returns policy.
She said: ‘I just refuse to pay it. It’s not that I don’t want to pay the fine, but this one I will not accept, because the rule is ridiculous in the first place. It’s the principal.
‘If I forget something from M&S for lunch, I can’t go back? And 33 months for the fine to come through the door? It’s a joke.’
She added: ‘I got a “final notice” for an offence that, apparently, I committed in March 2023.
Ms Wentowska said ‘I just refuse to pay it’ after parking manager Parkingeye denied her the option to appeal
Parkingeye doubled down on their decision saying that there is clear signage with the rules of the car park on display, adding they first got in contact with her in April last year – two years and a month after the offence
Ms Wentowska is said to have returned to the car park within the four hour no return period
‘There’s no evidence or anything. I wrote to them, asking for more information, and they sent me a letter saying I can’t appeal because too much time has passed already.
‘I was in the car park twice within one hour. I think the policy at the time was no return within [four] hours.
‘That’s ridiculous for a place with five shops. If you forget something, you go back.’
Years have rolled by since this apparently illegal shopping trip and Ms Wentowska said that she cannot think why she ever went to the shops in the first place, let alone why she returned.
For the same reason, she cannot give over receipts to prove her purchases that day.
‘I was there twice: once for 17 minutes and again for 20 minutes,’ Ms Wentowska, who runs The Little Science Society tutoring company, continued.
‘Therefore, I breached the rule and was given a PCN. I didn’t receive it in 2023, but at the end of 2025 I received a final notice.
‘I just feel like I’m being unfairly treated. The rule is ridiculous. Now, it’s a new management dealing with the old fines.’
She continued: ‘I couldn’t prove I was shopping because who keeps their shopping receipts from three years ago?
‘I’m angry and anxious. I have been in and out of the area for the past three years. How many more will I get?’
She said that carpark managers Parkingeye have told her she cannot appeal the decision, but she does not want to pay the fine.
‘I’m angry and anxious’, said Monika Wentowska after recieving a parking fine from an alleged offence nearly three years ago. She is worried that she may get more after visiting the same place countless times
‘I wasn’t trying to exploit the car park and go to the beach or something,’ she added.
‘A £100 fine for 17 minutes and 20 minutes, three years later? Too much time has passed. My credit score could be affected. It’s absolutely unreasonable.’
To her, it felt like Parkingeye were ‘just trying to catch people out and it’s unfair.’
A Parkingeye spokesperson said: ‘Parkingeye provides car park management services at Prospect Way Retail Park.
‘The car park features prominent and highly visible signs throughout, providing information on how to use the car park responsibly.
‘This includes guidance that the car park is for customers only and there is a maximum stay period of 3 hours, with no return within 4 hours.
‘The motorist received a parking charge for breaking the no-return rule. The first correspondence was issued in April last year, advising on the charge with a final notice in November.
‘Parkingeye operates a BPA (British Parking Association) audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal their parking charge.
‘If anyone has mitigating circumstances, we would encourage them to highlight this by appealing.
‘We granted the motorist a late appeal however they failed to provide any evidence that they were a genuine customer and the appeal was rejected.
‘The motorist still has the right to a further appeal with POPLA, the independent Ombudsman.’
