Letters: Parking story had me spitting razor blades of rage

SIR - I have just returned from a short trip to Cornwall and picked up your paper on the way home.

There are few instances where I can say I spit razor blades in anger, but this was one of them after reading your front page article headlined ‘Tragic driver pursued by parking firm’.

I made a promise to myself many years ago that if I ever entered a car park that wanted details of my number plate, I would leave and park elsewhere. If I could not find a space where this could be done for the time I wanted, I would leave the area.

This happened in Cornwall. My wife and I planned a day tour of North Cornwall - first stop, Tintagel. The car park required me to put in details of my number plate. I drove out. Goodbye Tintagel, we won't be back. They have lost out on two lunches and a few drinks (£20-30) plus future visits.

We then drove up to Boscastle and had a repeat performance. We had hoped to have had lunch there instead, but once again they wanted the number of my car in order to park. Sorry guys that is none of your business. The same for Port Issac.

They can have my money for an allotted time to hire a space, but that is all. We then drove down to Padstow. I entered the public car park by the harbour, but checked the machine before looking for a bay. Result! No number required.

The car park was pretty full, but I spotted a vehicle about to leave a space as the driver had indicated to me that was her intention.

All of a sudden the passenger jumped out of the car waving her parking ticket. She had booked that space for three hours and had only used two and would I like to use up the remaining hour.

She didn't want any money and as we anticipated we would be less than an hour anyway, so I accepted her kind offer. Free parking!

But of course the local authorities do not want anyone to do this, all they want is to screw the motorist for every single penny they can lay their grubby little hands on and will go to extreme lengths to achieve this.

Think about it. How many motorists would think about offering the time left on their ticket which was already paid for, to another motorist?

Very few in the grand scheme of things I suspect and yet these authorities will spend thousands on machines and 'enforcement watchdogs' to scrape the few extra quid and charge stupidly high fines for infringement.

Shame on them, no doubt passed by small-minded councillors who have nothing better to do.

If I cannot find a parking space in New Milton where I have to enter my number, I will move on. Plenty of spaces elsewhere in the area and New Milton will lose a visitor/shopper.

John Walsh,

Milford