Warning after South Cambridgeshire driver’s ‘slip of the finger’ led to fine

A driver has won his battle to overturn a £100 parking fine after he entered the wrong car registration number by mistake.

The slip of the finger on the ticket machine looked to have been a costly mistake for Peter Hughes after two appeals to get the fine overturned were rejected. He collected the fine at Royston railway station car park, which is managed by Saba Park Solutions UK on behalf of railway company Govia Thameslink, when he mistakenly hit two wrong buttons while attempting to record his car registration number.

Despite Mr Hughes, from Newton, being able to show he had paid £2.80 for his car park ticket, his appeal against the fine was turned down on both occasions.

However, following intervention by the Cambridge Independent, Govia Thameslink has now agreed to waive the penalty.

He said: “I am happy that they have overturned the penalty but perhaps I should donate the money to charity. What concerned me is that there was no justice or proportionality in a £100 penalty for a slip of the finger. The public who use the car park at Royston station have a right to know that a slip of the finger can cost them a penalty of £100.”

A spokesperson for Saba Park Solutions UK said: “When payment is made for parking, the full, valid vehicle registration number must be inputted.”

But after being contacted by the Cambridge Independent, a spokesman for Govia Thameslink said: “The onus is on the driver to ensure that a valid payment is in place at the time of purchase, and the vehicle registration on the ticket provides the customer with proof of this.

“If Mr Hughes had called our customer support team at the time he made his mistake we would have been able to prevent a penalty being issued.

“However, on this occasion, as a gesture of goodwill, we will waive the penalty notice.”