A father-of-four is refusing to back down in a two-year battle with a private firm over a parking fine issued in Exeter when his ticket apparently blew over in the wind.
Wesley Hatch, 31, parked his green Nissan 4x4 in the Victoria Yard car park, off Queen Street, in March 2013 to collect one of his daughters from pre-school.
He was surprised to be given a parking charge notice (PCN) by Premier Parking Solutions (PPS) after his ticket supposedly flipped-over on the dashboard.
Now Mr Hatch fears he could be forced to pay a £2,000 bill to the company when the matter is brought before a court in March.
"I feel like I'm being bullied," he said. "They could see I had bought a ticket, and I proved it was valid. But they keep chasing me for money."
Mr Hatch, who lives in Lapford near Crediton, said he used the car park frequently for its location and price.
He said: "It was cheap, right in the middle of town and close to the nursery. I'd never had any problems before."
On 28 March 2013 he arrived at the car park as usual and his wife, Claire, purchased a ticket.
Mr Hatch, who works as a primary school catering assistant, said: "It was extremely windy and starting to rain. My wife put the ticket on the dashboard, and I opened the boot to get out the pushchair. We didn't think to even check the ticket."
He returned to find a yellow package, containing the PCN, attached to his windscreen.
It was accompanied by an anonymous note advising him to 'ignore' it.
But he showed the valid ticket to a parking officer in the car park who apparently encouraged him to appeal against the fine.
Mr Hatch challenged the PCN, but the company upheld its decision to fine him £100.
He offered to pay £10 – the maximum fee for a 24 hour stay in the car park – as a 'compromise' but PPS refused his offer.
Mr Hatch appealed against the fine to the independent appeals service POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals), but his case was rejected.
PPS is said to have sent him several letters – threatening court action if he refused to pay money.
He added: "It's having a big effect on my health. Every time I get a letter it causes me more stress.
"I'm worried because I can't afford to pay for a solicitor or get financial help. I feel like I've hit a brick wall."
The Newton Abbot-based firm claims he is liable to pay the fine, because his ticket was not viewable.
A PPS spokesman said: "It is not in dispute that the driver failed to adhere to the clearly advertised terms and conditions of parking and left his vehicle without ensuring that a pay and display ticket was clearly on view. As such nothing could be seen by our attendants to confirm and authorise his parking. This consequently set in motion a chain of events that resulted in the driver correctly having a PCN issued to him."
