Excel Parking drops woman’s £1,906 charge

A car park operator has dropped its £1,906 court claim against a woman who took more than five minutes to pay for parking.

Rosey Hudson was among numerous people being taken to court by Excel Parking due to its five-minute payment rule – which has seen drivers sent Parking Charge Notices (PCNs) for not paying within that time.

But following publicity about the case – and an MP describing the PCNs as a “five-minute rip-off charge” – the claim against Miss Hudson has been dropped.

The BBC contacted Excel Parking and asked why the case was dropped, but it has not responded.

Miss Hudson, who is 31 and lives in Leicestershire, said she felt “so relieved”.

“I’ve basically won without having to go to court, which is incredible, and I feel like I’ve had a weight lifted off my shoulders,” she said.

“I won’t have that anxiety of thinking I don’t want to pick the post up this morning because I’m worried it’s another PCN fine or another debt collector letter.”

However, Miss Hudson said she wanted to “continue fighting for other people that are going through the same thing”.

Since the BBC reported on Miss Hudson’s case, we have been contacted by numerous other people who have been threatened with legal action for the same reason.

These included Garry Kay, who parked at the same car park as Miss Hudson – the Copeland Street car park in Derby.

Excel Parking demanded £255 from Mr Kay, but he found out the case had been discontinued shortly before he was due to defend himself in court.

Mr Kay had received only one PCN from Excel Parking while Miss Hudson had received 10.

She paid the first one but decided to challenge the car park operator when she received more through the post.

Neither Mr Kay nor Miss Hudson have received any explanation from Excel Parking about why their cases were discontinued.

Miss Hudson encouraged other people to challenge their PCNs, as she and Mr Kay did.

“Even if you receive letters that are warning you of debt recovery and taking you to court, I would still persevere,” she said.

“I would recommend getting legal advice and persevering. Don’t give in to the car parking bullies.”

DCB Legal, which represents Excel Parking, has donated £60 to the Teenage Cancer Trust at Miss Hudson’s request, in lieu of the first PCN she paid.

Miss Hudson has also made a donation in return for free legal advice she received from a solicitor, who contacted her following the publicity.

She said the charity meant a lot to her.

“I lost my dad to cancer a couple of years ago and that was unbearable, but to know that a younger generation are going through such horrible diseases, I can’t imagine,” she said.

Although Miss Hudson has won her case, she said it had caused a huge amount of stress over the past 21 months.

“I struggle daily with getting anxious and worried about things,” she said.

“This heightened it, so this made me feel 10 times worse. It’s that dread of waking up in the morning and seeing another letter.

“It’s not nice having that hang over you, I wouldn’t wish it on anybody and I certainly hope that the rules change so that this doesn’t happen again.”

Miss Hudson would ultimately like the five-minute payment rule to be “banished” and for private car park operators to follow stricter rules, and she hopes to meet Catherine Atkinson, the Derby North Labour MP who raised the matter in the House of Commons.

But in the meantime, Miss Hudson feels she can finally continue with her life as normal.

“I can use that money towards a deposit for a house I’m looking at buying with my partner,” she said.

“We’re getting married in February next year, so I feel like that money will go towards our future.”