Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishA couple felt like they had been victims of a ‘trap’ after they received a £100 fine for stopping at a car park for five minutes while on holiday. Sue Hirst, from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, visited Weymouth for a long weekend away alongside her partner and her dog.The couple enjoyed sunny weather and long walks on the beach in what the 53-year-old described as an otherwise ‘lovely stay’ in the seaside town.However just a week after they returned she was hit with a £100 parking fine for a five minute stop off at a car park, where her partner did not even leave the car.They had pulled up at the Weymouth Old Town West car park, close to the harbour, when Ms Hirst discovered that she would need coins in order to pay for a ticket.She said: ‘I walked up to the machine and it was only taking coins when I was there.’I did not have any coins on me. Who carries coins anymore?’Normally if you can’t pay by cash, there is an app you can use to pay it. There was no reference to a parking app, so I walked back to the car and drove off.’ Sue Hirst, 53, spent a long weekend in Dorset with her partner, but was shocked to discover a £100 fine when they returned home She said she was ‘shocked’ that they had been charged as her partner did not even leave the carA week later, she was horrified to discover that her brief five-minute stay at the car park had cost her £100, as she was issued with a parking notice through the post.’It was a complete shock,’ she said, ‘usually if you are in a car-park like a multi-storey, they give you a chance to look for spaces and to leave if there are none.’We had a letter which said we had parked there for five minutes. Entrance time 3.37pm and departure time 3.43pm. ‘I have never had any issues like this before with parking, we parked in lots of different places over the weekend and it was fine.’I am outraged by this. It is a total rip off. I might as well have been mugged for £100.’During the stay, the couple were happy to pay for parking, even spending £17 for a parking space at the popular Dorset beauty spot Durdle Door.However, Ms Hirst said she has no intention of paying the fine for the one place in Dorset where she did not park over her weekend. The small car park is located near the harbour and is popular for tourists visiting WeymouthShe said: ‘Only I got out of the car, my partner was still in the car with the dog.’It ruined our holiday, you just don’t expect to see a £100 fine.’They are using the car park to trap tourists. I am not a local and most tourists would probably cave in and pay the fine.’I won’t pay it. That is a lot of money and I am not at fault, I saw I could not pay and I left.’I am happy to fight this one they can do what they want. I work hard for my money and I don’t want to give it to thieving cowboys. ‘It does not give Weymouth a good reputation. I have looked online and it seems to happen all the time there.’The private car park is run by ParkingEye and is not a council owned car park. The company says that motorists are given a ‘five-minute consideration period’ before they are charged for parking, meaning Ms Hirst was charged for just 53 seconds she stayed in the car park. Steve Cottrell received a £100 fine for spending six minutes and 12 seconds in a car park while on holiday Mr Cottrell his partner Joy drove into the Old Town (West) Car Park in Weymouth, Dorset, on July 15 hoping to find a space to leave their car for the week-long tripMany tourists have fallen foul of the strict rules associated with the time allowed for stopping.Last year, NHS nurse Steve Cottrell was also fined at the same car park in Weymouth for a six-minute stay.The 63-year-old said he felt ‘mugged’ by the charge, which he too said had ‘ruined his holiday’. The father-of-two, wrote to a number of MPs and copied in the Prime Minister after his one-time appeal was rejected, and even wrote a letter to the car park’s landowners. Three months later, the company finally agreed to ‘cancel the charge as a gesture of goodwill’.’We didn’t even stop there – well, we stopped the car but we didn’t park there,’ he said.’We had just driven in, walked to the machine and found that we couldn’t actually pay because we didn’t have any cash and it was costly. ‘It feels like I’ve been mugged.’I think five minutes is unreasonable because by the time you’ve pulled up, got out of the car, made your way over to the ticket machine and read the signs, your time is up and you’ll be fined.’ Parkingeye said Steve had failed to ‘provide any mitigating circumstances’ for exceeding the five-minute ruleWeymouth Old Town West car park has a 1.3 star rating on Google Reviews, with many other visitors having been hit by fines for similarly short stays.One review by Louis Conibear wrote: ‘My father received a fine for stopping just five minutes before deciding against parking in this car park. ‘It is evident from the reviews that this is a common issue. The owners claim that their car park is correctly signposted, but reading all the fineprint takes longer than the five minutes they allow. ‘How can this be just and fair? As another reviewer noted, this policy also discriminates against those with mobility issues, as it may take them more than five minutes to exit their car. Avoid at all costs. Sarah Bradley wrote: ‘Avoid this car park at all costs. They are total crooks. My friend’s husband and myself on 2 consecutive days tried to pay but the machine was not working, nor able to download parking app. ‘We left as you would if you can’t pay and display. Only to discover an automatic ticket had was issued for 5 mins!’There was no phone number to contact. KEEP away.’ParkingEye claimed that another payment method would have been available to Ms Hirst through the Evology payment app. Weymouth Old Town West car park allows a grace period of just five minutes for motoristsHowever the company revealed they had cancelled the fine as a gesture of goodwill.A Parkingeye spokesperson said: ‘The car park at Old Town West in Weymouth is monitored by ANPR camera systems and has 17 prominent and highly-visible signs that give motorists clear guidance on how to use the car park responsibly.’Motorists are advised that tariffs apply 24/7 and that they have the option to pay by the machine on site or by the Evology payment app.’The motorist parked in the car park for just under six minutes without paying, this exceeded the five-minute consideration period and therefore led to a parking charge being issued.’Parkingeye operates a BPA (British Parking Association) audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal their parking charge.’The motorist’s appeal was currently awaiting review. Despite exceeding the consideration period and a further payment option being available, on this occasion we will cancel the charge as a gesture of goodwill.’We would strongly urge all motorists to pay the appropriate tariff if they exceed the five minute consideration period, which was introduced as part of the British Parking Association and International Parking Community joint code of practice.’
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