Three minutes at a retail-park bay. He'd popped in, realised the shop was closed, and left. Two weeks later a £112 charge landed with photos of the vehicle.
The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 Schedule 4 is what lets a private parking operator pursue the registered keeper for the driver's alleged debt. But only if the operator follows a strict list of requirements. One of them is that the signage at the site has to make the terms clear at the point the parking event took place.
The signs at the retail park were positioned high above the car park entrance, not at the individual bays. The photo evidence the operator supplied with the charge showed a sign that was itself partially obscured by a delivery lorry.
The first-stage appeal cited the specific paragraphs of POFA 2012 Schedule 4 that were not met, and pointed to the operator's own photos as evidence. The charge was cancelled without needing POPLA.