Haulier stands up to parking penalties at Ipswich estate
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By Chris Tindall A ROW over "unreasonable" parking charge fines issued on a Suffolk industrial estate has deepened, after a haulier refused to pay his and said he was prepared to go to court to fight it.
Colin Broster, finance director at Flintshire-based FTS Hatswell, told CM he would contribute towards a 'fighting fund' to cover legal costs of any haulier fined for parking on the Ransomes Europark estate in Ipswich.
He sought legal advice when one of his drivers was fined after being photographed by a Proserve van when parking for four minutes outside a firm on the estate to ask where he should load his delivery. Broster was advised that private companies do not have any power by statute to raise fines or penalties.
"They are trying to get people for trespassing, but damages for trespassing are rather limited, unless you're doing a lot of damage," he said. "We've ignored them."
Commercialmotor.com reported last week that RG Bassett & Sons boss Ashley Bassett had paid a £180 charge, reduced from £300, when he was fined by Proserve on the same estate, after fearing that court costs would be too high if he'd chosen to challenge the fine.
Road Haulage Association infrastructure manager Chrys Rampley said: "Some people get scared off by threatening letters," she added. "The fine level [in this case] is totally unreasonable. It's a way of getting back lost revenue from the loss of clamping."
Proserve MD Stephen Duff said it was its client, land owner The Land Group, which issued claims for damages in relation to trespass.
The Land Group declined to comment.