A Fife couple feared they would have to spend the night in a notorious Perth car park after being “deliberately” locked in by staff.
Hilary and Russell Brown had been attending an event at Perth Concert Hall on February 6 and left their vehicle in the Kinnoull Street multi-storey, which is operated by Smart Parking.
After paying, they drove to the vehicle exit where they found an attendant in the process of locking up early. Hilary said that despite the fact they were right behind the man’s vehicle and they had their headlights on, he simply drove off.
To add insult to injury, as Hilary circled the car park trying to find an alternative exit, the site’s ANPR camera recorded her as entering for a second time at 12.05am six minutes after being locked in. As a result she was sent two parking charge notices (PCN).
The couple found an unlocked pedestrian exit but were forced to leave their car and pay £55 for a taxi to their home near Newport.
Hilary, 52, said: “Our car was directly behind the attendant’s when they got in and drove off.There’s absolutely no way on earth that they could have missed us it just wasn’t possible.
“It was deliberate as far as that person was concerned they were leaving us locked in the car park.”
At the same time a second couple, Jane and Martin Kennedy, found themselves locked out of the car park and had to ask Russell to get their house keys from their vehicle so they could go home to Aberfeldy.
Jane, 49, said: “The only reason I managed to get into my house was because Hilary was still in the car park.
“I assumed because you had a facility that allowed you to park for 24 hours, that you had access for 24 hours.”
A spokeswoman for Smart Parking apologised to both couples.
She said: “We have cancelled both parking charge notices and have also offered to reimburse any out-of-pocket expenses incurred.
“We are contacting both motorists and offering to make a £100 donation to a charity of their choice.
“In light of this incident, Smart Parking has extended the time staff finish working at Kinnoull Street car park by 10 minutes to 12.10am. This should give motorists who choose to leave the site at midnight the opportunity to do so.
“Kinnoull Street car park has a 24-hour tariff with opening and closing times clearly displayed on signs across the car park. These signs explain that even though motorists can leave their car overnight in a secure environment, the car park will close at midnight.”