'What a mess': Fury at car parking company after man receives 'no stopping' fine at Leeds City Station

Michael Smith appealed a £100 fine that he received from UKCPS for stopping in the road outside of the multi-storey car park at Leeds City Station to apply his seatbelt.

However, he said that when he later went to check the status of the appeal he was told that “no communication had been received” and that the matter would be escalated to debt collectors.

After deciding that he would pay the fine to avoid further stress he found that he was unable to do so because his ticket could not be found.

He has also been unable to contact the company over the phone or speak directly to a member of staff.

After sending multiple letters trying to appeal the decision he received a letter on Wednesday (February 4) saying that the fine had been cancelled as a “gesture of goodwill”.

Mr Smith said: “With phone lines that disconnect automatically and no monitored email address, motorists are being blocked from paying or appealing and funnelled toward debt recovery with no way to pay or appeal

“It’s appears to be a systematic issue.”

UKCPS has been approached on multiple occasions for comment but has not responded when requested by the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Mr Smith said that he had driven to the train station on December 27 to drop his sister off. After accompanying her to the platform he returned to the car and took off his seatbelt at the exit barrier so that he could insert his ticket.

He said that he then stopped in the road for “approximately 30 seconds” to reapply his seatbelt and drove off.

On January 13 he received a letter dated January 5 with details of the “no stopping” fine and appealed it on the same day on the basis that he had stopped for safety reasons.

Mr Smith added that there was a “discrepancy” in the details as the address was given as New Station Street rather than Aire Street where the incident had happened.

He said: “By using a vague or incorrect postcode, the company makes it harder for drivers to verify the specific terms of the ‘No Stopping’ zone.”

After getting confirmation of his appeal through an email, he went to check where the process was up to on January 22 and was told on the UKCPS website that there was no record of it. He said he was told to pay in full or the fine would be passed on to debt collectors.

Mr Smith said: “For one reason or another I thought I would just pay it but it came up saying they couldn’t find the number.”

He said that he sent further emails and tried to speak to staff over the phone to no avail, and it wasn’t until he reached out to his MP and Network Rail that he received a response from UKCPS, who said that they would cancel the charge “as a gesture of goodwill” despite it being issued “in accordance with the site regulations”.

The letter adds that the charge was placed on hold after the appeal was received, which is why he was unable to make a payment.

Mr Smith said that he still wants to highlight the “palaver” he experienced with the company saying: “What a mess it was.”

He warned people to not stop outside of the car park.

Mr Smith said: “This isn't a complaint about the fine, more that I could not contact the company to see if they had received the appeal.

“It is worrying that they say ‘no communication has been received’ and it is virtually impossible to contact UKCPS.”

The number provided on the website tells customers to call between 11am and 1pm but multiple calls from the YEP found that it disconnects instantly, which was the same experience of Mr Smith.