Motorists queuing for petrol are being hit with parking tickets — and now the competition regulator is investigating whether those charges are fair. Euro Car Parks, one of the UK's largest private parking providers, is under scrutiny by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over whether ticketing drivers waiting at petrol forecourts breaches consumer protection law.
The CMA is also examining Euro Car Parks' broader appeals process relating to petrol stations and car parks. The investigation forms part of a wider crackdown into potentially unfair practices by private parking operators. Research by the RAC has suggested the number of tickets issued in places like gyms, supermarkets, restaurants and retail parks more than doubled in six years, to 14.4 million.
“CMA investigates Euro Car Parks over parking tickets for drivers queuing at petrol stations.”
Motorists have complained about unclear signage, faulty apps and broken ticket machines, the CMA said. The regulator wants to make sure drivers are being treated fairly following complaints from motorists who feel they've been unjustly issued with parking tickets. The CMA has its own concerns about the way some operators handle appeals, or attempt to make motorists pay additional fees on top of parking charges. It has written to the sector as a whole and issued warnings to some individual operators.
Emma Cochrane, the CMA's executive director of consumer protection, said: “Costs are high and often unexpected which is difficult when people are budgeting carefully. Parking companies must treat motorists fairly at all stages – and a clear and consistent appeals process must be at the heart of this. It's time for all private parking operators to comply with consumer law or risk action from the CMA.”
The CMA's investigation into Euro Car Parks is focusing on whether it is fair for drivers to receive parking charges while queuing for, or using, petrol pumps and other forecourt services such as car washes, plus its wider appeals process. The probe is in the evidence gathering stage and is set to run until Spring 2027.
Motorists on social media have expressed bafflement and frustration at receiving parking tickets for overstaying at petrol stations. Some described receiving fines when they had been charging their electric vehicles; others said they had received a ticket for apparently overstaying while putting air in their tyres and getting fuel. Some complained there was no obvious signage with the facility's rules. Euro Car Parks has more than 3,000 facilities across the UK and Ireland.