A PENSIONER has been fined £100 after he pulled out of a parking space for just three minutes to collect his wife.

Eddie Harwood, 78, from The Brow in Woodingdean, had injured his left ankle earlier that day while out walking.

As a result, he stayed in his car which was parked in the South Coast Road car park in Peacehaven while his wife, Valerie went into the Co-op.

Mr Harwood initially pulled out of his space to collect his wife.

But as she had forgotten to buy the paracetamol he needed to ease the pain in his ankle, he remained out of the space for a short period between 11.22am and 11.25am.

Mr Harwood initially thought nothing of it but was outraged to discover a hefty £100 fine delivered through his letterbox a few weeks later.

He said: “I was totally surprised and simply couldn’t believe it.

“I was out of the space for such a short amount of time.

“It was just three minutes and as a result I have been fined £100.

“This is legalised extortion.

“I made an appeal against the fine and told them that I spent the next day in hospital but they turned it down.

“They operate only to make money, which I understand but they do have a responsibility to the

people who use the car park.

“It is not good business to screw customers over.”

Gavin Price from One Parking Solutions, which operates the car park, said: “In this particular case the driver parked outside of a marked bay, inconveniencing other car park patrons while the passenger went to a nearby shop to buy newspapers.

“I have attached factual evidence of this and the contravention that has occurred along with the evidence of the driver waiting for the passenger to go to the shop and return.

“You can clearly see the passenger returning with purchased newspapers, then the vehicle left the site.

“It’s a very simple parking system and this is clearly displayed in the terms and conditions in and around the site.

“If the driver had parked in a bay and waited this is perfectly acceptable and the driver would not have contravened the parking terms.”