Excel Parking: Leeds Bradford Airport slammed over Sheffield pensioner's £100 penalty for 44-second stop

Leeds Bradford Airport has been accused of ‘taking advantage of confused pensioners’ after a Sheffield driver was hit with a £100 fine for a 44-second stop.

Rob Burkinshaw, aged 82, was looking for a car park when he stopped momentarily at the airport entrance to look for signs. He says his engine remained running before he drove away.

He later received a £100 penalty charge from Vehicle Control Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sheffield-based Excel Parking.

It sent him a letter with photos of his car and says he was stopped between 3.23.22 to 3.24.06, a total of 44 seconds.

Mr Burkinshaw, of Haggstones Road, Worrall, said: "I had never done this before and there were no signs to the Sentinel car park, which is why I was stationary, with engine running.

"I was not parked, I stopped for no other reason than to look for directions. In view of the fact that I was there for 44 seconds, trying to get my bearings, and not sure which direction to take, I suggest that this is just taking advantage of confused pensioners who stopped to look for a sign."

A spokeswoman for Leeds Bradford Airport said: "This customer issue has now been shared with the LBA customer care team who will assess and respond directly. Road measures are in place at LBA to ensure the safety of motorists and passengers. Parking signage is featured across multiple roadside locations around the airport estate."

In July, Andy Smith was hit with a £100 penalty for stopping to read a sign for less than a minute on a red line at East Midlands Airport. The demand was issued by Vehicle Control Services and rose to £255 while Andy appealed, before the airport stepped in and cancelled it.

Vehicle Control Services did not respond to The Star.

The government is running a call for evidence ahead of a clampdown on ‘rogue’ parking companies. It has sparked claims of a ‘feeding frenzy’ ahead of new regulations. New figures from the DVLA show a record 11.1m penalty charges were handed out in the 12 months to the end of March - a 29 per cent annual rise - worth an estimated £1.1 billion.

Email your parking story to [email protected] before midnight on Sunday October 8.