Granddad slapped with £100 parking fine for parking 'too long' in McDonald's car park – because he went twice in same day

A GRANDAD was slapped with a £100 fine for spending too long in a McDonald's car park – after going twice on the same day.

Robert Newton claims he has been accused of spending more than two hours at the restaurant after cameras failed to record him leaving the car park.

Robert, 59, first popped into the fast food restaurant for a deli chicken wrap on his way to pick up his grandchildren.

He said he ate his snack in the car park, leaving 10 minutes later.

After picking up his granddaughter and grandson he went back to the restaurant, in Sittingbourne, Kent, to buy them both a Happy Meal.

After ordering he again parked, to allow his grandchildren to finish their meals, and left shortly afterwards.

Robert was shocked to later receive a fine for £100 from the company that operates that car park accusing him of staying there for more than two hours.

He said: "I drove though the drive-thru and parked up in the car park to eat it and then drove off and out of the car park about 10 minutes later.

"I then drove to Sheerness to pick up my grandson, Connor, 13, and granddaughter, Ellie, who is 10, as they were staying with my wife Deborah and I for a week during the summer holidays.

"I decided I would pop back into the McDonald's on the way back to Gillingham to get them both a Happy Meal."

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Robert continued "A week later I got a letter from the firm which operates McDonald's car parks which stated that I had overstayed my allowed time in there.

"The letter said I'd been parked up there for 123 minutes – that's more than two hours.

"It is stupid their cameras can clock me going in for my meal but not going out again but can then clock me going out later with the grandchildren.

"The system does not work properly and getting a letter telling me I owe £100 is not a laughing matter.

"I don't understand how the camera didn't see that I had exited the car park and then drove back in later."

Robert intends to appeal the ticket.

A McDonald's spokesperson added: "At a number of our restaurants, parking restrictions are in place to ensure there is adequate parking for all customers.

"Where restrictions are in place, we work with industry-approved contractors to ensure any restrictions are clearly signposted and communicated.

"McDonald's does not profit from any penalty charges and if a customer feels they have been wrongly ticketed we would encourage them to get in touch with the third party contractor who issued the ticket."

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