Fast food fans who queued for two hours to get a KFC when their restaurant reopened after lockdown are slapped with £100 fines for spending too long in the car park waiting to be served
- Customers turned out in their masses to queue for KFC in Rock Ferry, Wirral
- The Merseyside branch however started dishing out fines for using the car park
- Warning signs in place spelled out ‘maximum parking terms apply’
- Following a huge backlash the restaurant said the charges would be cancelled
Hungry KFC fans queuing up at a Wirral drive-thru for their favourite takeaway were shocked to be hit with £100 parking fines for waiting too long in the privately-owned car park.
The PCNs (parking charge notices) were issued to people who waited longer than the 75 minutes permitted at the KFC drive-thru in Rock Ferry.
This was despite long queues which left people with waiting times of up to two hours or more.
Even though none of the customers were in parking bays, they were automatically hit with fines because their car registration was caught on CCTV when they entered the KFC site and when they left, which showed they had stayed over the maximum 75 minutes allowed.
Cars piled up outside the Rock Ferry KFC branch in Wirral, as hungry fans were prepared to wait it out in order to get their fried chicken fixes
The first people knew about it was when a letter landed on their doormat from private car park operators Civil Enforcement a few days later, ordering them to pay a £100 parking charge – reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.
Mum-of-two Hayley Abbott, who was waiting in the KFC queue for 90 minutes, said it was ‘the most expensive KFC I’ve ever had in my life.’
She added: ‘There was a security guard bringing people into the car park and there was no mention of there being a time limit and a possible fine.
‘Once you’re in the queue, you can’t get out of it. The cars were bumper to bumper.
‘I was fuming when I got the parking ticket through the post a few days later. I was thinking, ‘this is the most expensive KFC I’ve ever had in my life.”
However in line with warning signs placed around the restaurant car park, some customers started to get hit with fines for waiting too long in the privately owned car park
Even though none of the customers were in parking bays, they were automatically hit with fines because their car registration was caught on CCTV
Instead of paying the fine, Hayley challenged it – and her appeal was upheld. Another victim of the fines, who gave her name as Alisha, said: ‘It wasn’t my fault I was waiting in a queue. If KFC knew people were going to be fined, they shouldn’t have let that many people in.’
There was also a strong response when news of the fines was posted on a Facebook group’s page, with many others saying they had had the same experience and were refusing to pay.
One said: ‘This is completely ridiculous, they won’t have any customers if they carry on like this.
‘I don’t think stuck in a queue is quite the same as parking in their car park.’
Customers later received the parking notices through the post, with the fines being imposed after their vehicles were picked up by the restaurant cameras
Another online account said: ‘Shuuuuuuuut up!!!!! Omg this is a disgrace!!! KFC shame on you.’
After being inundated with complaints from angry customers, KFC said they had now cancelled the penalty notices.
A KFC spokesperson said: ‘It’s great to be back and we’re flattered by how much our Rock Ferry fans have missed us!
‘Our longer than usual queues did result in a few unfair fines for the car park but we’ve put that right now by cancelling the charges.’