A WOMAN was outraged after receiving a parking ticket she claimed incorrectly stated she had parked for more than 24 hours.

Gemma Brown, of Gunnerton, was handed a parking fine of £100 after parking in the Tyne Valley Retail Park, in Hexham, for exceeding the two hour limit.

The ticket claimed Mrs Brown had been in the car park for a full day, whereas she insisted she visited the same car park twice in two days and the cameras failed to detect that.

Mrs Brown said: “I went to visit Pets at Home on the Wednesday to get medicine for my guinea pig. Then it died, so I went back to look at getting a new one on Thursday.

“They’ve said I have gone in on Wednesday and not left until Thursday. I was so cross – it’s the last thing anyone wants. It’s my first ever parking ticket in 15 years of driving.”

Mrs Brown said she had subsequently sent an appeal to UKCPS, which enforces the parking restrictions at Tyne Valley Retail Park for site owners Advance Northumberland.

She continued: “It’s totally wrong and it’s very frustrating. It’s put me off going. It seems like I’m not the only person in Hexham that has been affected.”

A spokeswoman for Advance Northumberland said it, nor the parking company had received any contact.

He said: “The cameras at the single entrance/exit to the main retail park car park take an image of every car entering and leaving.

"Ten minutes grace is applied over and above the two hours. We’ve had no contact on this and the parking enforcement team whose details are on the signage displayed haven’t had any direct contact either.”

The spokeswoman said the organisation would contact Mrs Brown directly to resolve the issue.