Dad ‘appalled’ after ‘free parking’ comic fayre results in £100 fine

On Sunday, January 28, Colin Arnold attended the sci-fi comic and toy fayre with his family at the Mercure Hotel in St Helens town centre, which was his third visit in three years.

With the fayre bringing a range of comic book heroes and TV favourites to St Helens, Colin’s children loved the family-friendly event, despite the hectic atmosphere of the afternoon.

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The flyer advertised free parking at the event (Image: Colin Arnold)
The event flyer that was shared advertised free parking at the Mercure, so after staying for just over an hour, Colin expressed his shock when receiving a £100 fine through the post.

An updated flyer looks to have added that visitors need to register their vehicle at the hotel reception to receive free parking, although Colin said he did not see this version or any other signage on the carpark.

Colin, from Haydock, said: “It’s the third time in three years that we have been to the comic and toy fayre and every year it says ‘free parking’ all over the flyer.

“Nobody said anything about registering my vehicle so to say I was appalled when I received the fine is an understatement.”

After venting his frustration online, other visitors came forward to say that they had also been fined as they were similarly unaware of the parking procedure.

The fine comes from a private company, Parkingeye, which gives customers an hour to stay at the Mercure before they will be fined. Staying guests must register their vehicle at reception and fines will be reduced to £60 if it is paid within two weeks.

Colin and his family were at the event for just over an hour (Image: Colin Arnold)
Colin’s fine adds to the long list of frustrations about parking in St Helens town centre, with Parkingeye administering numerous fines at the nearby Range.

This has been a common complaint for customers over the years, with some charged for returning products when not in the allocated time.

Others have complained about parking charges on council-run car parks, particularly as it was reported that the council made a loss of £69k on local-authority-run car parking sites between 2022-23.

Many customers have complained about the Range parking charges (Image: Google Maps)
Venting his frustration, Colin added: "I think the town centre is in dire straits at the minute and the parking situation is the final nail in the coffin.

"People don't want to pay for parking when they can park for free in other places, or they are scared to come out in case they are fined, so more and more people will just avoid the town centre altogether."

Colin was fined £100 after visiting the Mercure event (Image: Google Maps)
Speaking about the Mercure charge, a Parkingeye spokesperson said: “The car park at The Mercure Hotel in St Helens features prominent and highly-visible signs providing information on how to use the car park responsibly. 

“The guidance advises that tariffs apply after the first free 20 minutes and that those using the car park can pay through the paybyphone app. 

“The signage also states that hotel guests must enter their vehicle registration details into the terminal at reception on arrival to receive free parking. 

“The motorist correctly received a parking charge due to parking for 1 hour 12 minutes and not making a payment or registering his details. 

“We would add that Parkingeye operates a BPA (British Parking Association) audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal their Parking Charge. If anyone has mitigating circumstances, we would encourage them to highlight this by appealing. 

“We can confirm that an appeal has been made by the motorist which is currently going through the review process.”