Sir,

I’ve read quite a bit in the Observer regarding complaints from tourists over unfair parking fines from the Rectory Car Park and I now have personal experience.

I parked in the Rectory Car Park on Christmas Eve and completed the payment (as I thought) through the machine. Everything appeared fine and I put the receipt in my purse. It wasn’t until I went to collect the car later that I realised that the receipt said VOID at the top.

There was nothing during the payment process that gave any indication of my payment not having gone through correctly. The receipt is not even obligatory, but because I had heard stories about people being unjustly fined in the Rectory Car Park I requested one.

I subsequently tried to pay for further parking on December 27 and this time I tried all three machines and checked the receipt each time. All were marked VOID. I was therefore forced to download the paybyphone APP and I paid online.

Payment via the paybyphone APP then turns out to be more expensive so that payment for 72 hours is £6 more at £19 instead of £13 as advertised on the machines at the car park.

This is very sharp practice by Highview Parking. Their machines were all faulty at a very busy time for Tenby. I imagine that I will not be the only person in receipt of a parking ticket for £35 which I am now contesting and I’m lucky that I was forewarned and kept all my VOID receipts.

Visitors to Tenby should be warned and I think the owners of the Rectory Car Park - whoever they are - should be held to account.

Caroline Charnock,

Tenby.