An exhausted Fife motorist who heeded warning signs about the risks of driving while tired has been hit with a hefty parking fine for taking a nap.
Brian Macfarlane and his wife Sheena were travelling back from a trip to France when they decided to stop at a service station for some much-needed kip.
Lengthy delays had left them struggling to keep their eyes open, and the car park at the northbound Stafford Services seemed like the ideal place for 40 winks.
But the Dunfermline resident’s reward for erring on the side of caution was a £100 fine.
Mr Macfarlane said he had been driving the 940 miles from Brittany to sign paperwork for a property deal when he suffered five hours of delays from road traffic and the Channel Tunnel.
“After buying some food, we decided that on safety grounds we should have a nap for an hour or so,” he said.
“However, clearly even more exhausted than we thought, we slept for over four hours.
“We then drove refreshed the five-and-a-half hours home, arriving 25 hours after departing instead of the 15 hours Serena the Sat Nav had promised.
“But as a reward I’ve just received today by post a demand from agents of the services owner for the sum of £100 for alleged unauthorised parking because we apparently parked longer than the mandatory two hours.
“This was in a completely empty car park.”
Mr Macfarlane added that the fine had been supported by the “worst pictorial evidence it’s possible to imagine”, and described the punishment as “unbelievable”.
“After reading countless signs all over England telling us ‘Tiredness kills take a break’ we get a £100 charge notice for taking that advice from the owner of the services that are supposed to provide for that break,” he said.
“If only I had known I’d sleep in, I’d have booked into a motel and saved myself around £50.
“Perhaps they were miffed I didn’t.
“With this kind of unconscionable behaviour bordering on extortion from people who earn their profits from Joe Public in the first place, you really have to ask what on earth is happening to this country?
“It’s just one of the many reasons why I’m buying a house in rural France.”
The incident happened at the Moto service area on the M6, while the car park there is managed by CP-Plus.
Parking is free for up to two hours, with anything over that time up to 24 hours costing £12.50.
A spokesperson for CP-Plus appears to have offered Mr Macfarlane a lifeline, although he will still have to formally appeal the fine.
“We fully support responsible motoring and as such have a policy that any driver who has slept in their car can speak to the duty manager at the services and a PCN will not be issued if they overstay their two hour allotted time,” the spokesperson concluded.
