A Dundee lawyer has accused private parking firms of launching a “concerted blitz” on Tayside drivers after being approached for legal advice by more ticketed motorists than ever before.
Gary McIlravey, of city law firm Lawson, Coull and Duncan, said he has become an expert on the subject of private parking tickets because so many drivers are now receiving charge notices.
He feels firms have undertaken a campaign of issuing tickets to drivers parked at a number of sites throughout Dundee.
Mr McIlravey said anyone given a ticket should seek legal advice over whether or not to pay the demand.
He said: “We have seen a rash of these type of cases recently. It looks like the parking firms have decided to have a blitz.
“I’ve had two cases this week alone which have been dismissed with expenses because no one from the parking firm showed up.
“The firms have difficulty proving who actually parked the car and they need to be able to prove this.
“I would advise people not to listen to what politicians have said about not paying the fines. Each case turns on its own merits.
“My advice would always be to seek legal advice, despite what politicians have said. Every case is different.
“There has been a huge increase over the past 12 to 18 months.
“I’ve heard of cases where people have received tickets for parking in their own spaces.
“There’s more cases now than I have seen before and it looks like a concerted blitz from the parking firms.”
A spokesman for campaign group the British Motorists Protection Association said: “There are many more cases like this in England than there are in Scotland.
“But these charges are getting out of control.
“Most people get scared by the ambulance-chasing techniques applied and pay up.
“The bigger the number the more people pay up.”