A WOMAN has been fighting a fine she received at a council owned carpark in Welshpool for accidentally displaying her valid ticket upside down.

Jeanette Shearer from Newtown parked in Berriew Street car park while she got her hair cut, paying for four hours in case her appointment overran.

But she returned within 45 minutes.

Mrs Shearer said: “I have no problem with having a penalty notice because the ticket had flipped over when I closed the door.” However, Mrs Shearer was not happy when she sent her valid ticket to the council in the post and they wouldn’t remove the fine.

Mrs Shearer said: “I’m being punished for the ticket flipping over. They they don’t provide any adhesive, they are going to fall off.” Mrs Shearer said that the reason they had taken the stickers off the tickets was because it was clogging up the machine, but that now they have created another problem. She said: “It’s a matter of principle. They want people to come into the town and they don’t sort this out.”

Mrs Shearer said: “If I hadn’t paid enough I’d have no problem at all, but I was no way near the four hours I paid for.”

Mrs Shearer’s husband, Robert Shearer, was also involved in the complaints process and thinks the penalty is “absolutely stupid” and “ridiculous”. He went straight to the chief executive of the council and then got passed on to the traffic and travel manager but had no luck. Mr Shearer said: “I’ve told them that they need to admit that they’re wrong.”

Mrs Shearer paid the fine of £25, which would double if she did not pay within 14 days, but decided against formally appealing.

Powys County Council said: “It is standard practice to issue a PCN to a vehicle not complying with the requirements of the pay and display car park by clearly displaying a valid pay and display ticket.

“An upside down ticket is not displaying a valid ticket correctly as the Enforcement Officer is unable to see if it is valid or not, this is known as a contravention.

“It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure the pay and display ticket is correctly displayed.

“The motorist could have appealed against the notice but in this case chose not to and paid the PCN.

“The case is considered closed.”