A PARKING company is "picking on the wrong people," residents say, with one Basingstoke woman being hit with a fine outside her home just hours before her father-in-law died.

Vanessa Mercer, 56, returned from the hospital one afternoon to find her regular parking space had been taken by another vehicle, forcing her to park in an unmarked bay further up the road.

Later that evening, at 10.35pm, she was issued a parking fine by Countrywide Parking Management, who had been hired back in June by the landlord due to cars being abandoned on the private road which restricted resident’s access to the driveway.

Early the next morning she received the news that her father-in-law had passed away in his bed that evening shortly after she was issued the parking fine.

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Speaking to the Gazette, Vanessa said: “I never complain about anything, but I am so incensed by this that I can’t let it carry on.

“I am currently in the process of negotiations to purchase the road by the landlord and freeholder because it is causing so much annoyance to myself and my neighbours.

“I firmly believe that this is purely a money-making scheme and it’s a real concern to all of us who live here.

“If there was a logical reason behind the fines or it was issued by the police or the council I would have no issue with it. But it wasn’t.”

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74-year-old retired account clerk, Suzie Kingston, has had a similar issue with Countrywide Parking Management, in that she was also issued a fine for parking her vehicle in her designated bay after her parking pass had fallen off the dashboard.

She explained that she has been recovering from the Flu since early November at the time her fine was issued and the company is insisting that she pay for another parking pass which is a sure to take a “considerable amount.”

Basingstoke Gazette:

The firm were hired back in June to prevent other drivers from abandoning their vehicles on the private road and blocking passage to residents.

“When I was finally well enough to leave the house to get some shopping in I didn’t think about the parking fines. It was only until the next day that I noticed it had slipped off the edge and now it’s cost me £60,” she said.

Reflecting on the incident, Suzie added: “They’re picking on the wrong people. Why would I pay a parking fine for parking in my designated space? It makes no sense.

“I’ve done everything to get this disputed, I wrote in to them as well as calling them up and they just dismissed me completely, they wouldn’t even give me the chance to get my words out.”

If you are unsure about parking in your area visit basingstoke.gov.uk/carparks or contact the council on 01256 844844.