Car park bosses have told a woman she must pay a parking ‘fine’ even though she has photographic evidence to prove she has not flouted the rules.

Linda Pickles, 36, of Paley Terrace, East Bowling, Bradford, parked in the Forster Square retail park car park on December 16 for a few minutes while she dropped her daughter off in the morning. She returned that afternoon to do some shopping.

The rules state that parking is free only if the customer is parked there for less than two hours.

Miss Pickles was issued with a parking charge notice by management company Excel Parking Services who said they had captured her on camera entering the car park in the morning and leaving in the afternoon, refusing to believe she had not been there all day.

She wrote to the company, and even has CCTV still pictures of her car entering the Kirkgate Centre car park, where she had gone in between her two trips to Forster Square.

In a letter to Miss Pickles, Excel said: “We have checked our records and we can confirm that we only have two images of your vehicle, one entering and one exiting. If you had exited and re-entered the car park, we would have additional images.”

Miss Pickles said: “When I got the photos from Kirkgate I phoned Excel and said I was willing to send them but he refused to listen.

“I’m really, really annoyed. He’s called me a liar. How many other people have they done it to?”

A Excel spokesman said: “At present we only have two images of Miss Pickles’ vehicle at Forster Square car park on the day in question.

“These show one entering and one exiting over four hours later. Forster Square is a maximum stay car park which allows two hours’ free-of-charge parking.

“As the stay was over the maximum time allowed, the parking charge notice was issued correctly.

“However, based on the images supplied by Miss Pickles, we will review the details of the charge and investigate thoroughly the points raised through her appeal and will contact her in due course with a decision.”

David Lodge, divisional manager of West Yorkshire Trading Standards, said: “If she is adamant that she has got evidence, the company would have to take her to court to pursue the charge and they would have to justify it.

“The charge is different from a fine – Excel do not have the authority to issue fines.

“If she has photographs of her car somewhere else, what more can she do to prove it? I doubt it would even get to court. We have had a lot of complaints about the company and what appear to be examples of over-zealous enforcement of their parking charges.”