£63 cup of tea at BP service station.

[CatOnAMushroom]

Just returned from (what was suppposed to be a cheap camping) holiday to a £60 fine for parking at a BP petrol station for 49 minutes for a break on a long journey in torrential rain.

I always check when parking in car parks, on roads etc but I never thought to check for parking rules at a petrol station ☹️

If anyone is going on holiday this week don't overstay your welcome at a BP service station

Why would you park at a place that sells fuel and air for your tyres? It's a quick in and out place.

Unless of course it sells coffee that you can sit down inside for in which case where there no designated parking bays?

I parked in one of the parking bays

I bought a cup of tea and DC and I used the toilet

I ate a snack and had a break before driving again on a long journey in torrential rain for safety purposes. Don't drive tired and all that

Services or just a regular filling station?

Presumably services. Though small. There was a Starbucks next to the petrol station too. There were designation parking bays but I never thought to look for signs. Thought I'd warn others who might do the same

Can you appeal and explain the long drive and very bad weather? It seems more than reasonable you would stay in the bay especially if you bought something. What was the limit?

The limit was 30 minutes. I stayed 49 minutes ☹️

Private. Euro parks car park

You can only park at Motorway services for 2 hours without paying extortionate fees so it doesn’t surprise me at all.
People have also been done for parking on supermarket car parks after hours to use a cash machine.
A normal petrol station doesn’t usually have parking spaces though, does it? Maybe a waiting area for air or the car wash , which would explain the fine if you sat there for 40 minutes.

Apparently if I appeal and lose them I have to pay the higher amount of £100 (though I can't see how this practice is morally acceptable)

So are you surprised the rules apply to you too?

This is terrible advice.

If the 30 minute limit was clearly visible, not obscured by say a delivery lorry, then appeal by all means but accept the outcome.

Wow! We often park at a particular petrol station in a parking bay on the way to a local attraction for toilet and coffee break. It’s less than 49 minutes but can be 25-35 minutes.

30 minutes is a very short limit for a services type stop, we stopped one on the A34 past Oxford and it was 1 hr 30 to allow for EV charging.

These parking companies take thousands of people to court, just because it's civil and not criminal doesn't mean the OP can ignore it. If they decided to go to small claims, which is increasingly common, she could end up with a CCJ.

Well I could be honest and tell them that I am currently awaiting investigations for heavy periods (and actually used the toilet twice in that time)

So it was a parking bay to enable you to go for a toilet break and pick up a coffee rather than a service station. Thirty minutes is generally a fair amount of time for a wee, get coffee, drink it and drive off.

Anyway, were the notices clear in writing and not obscured physically?

How rude

No. But I think the rules are overly strict and unexpected hence not looking for a sign in torrential rain and warning others on here

I never check!!!
Thank you for the info, I know it’s a small consolation for you but I’m really grateful as our stops can easily go beyond 30 minutes in some situations due to health reasons.