Well I am shocked to learn about this further erosion of privacy in the UK. I really thought that the DVLA info was pretty secure...

I do accept that Maccy Dees to have the right to prevent abuse of their parking by the way, it is just the wider implications of this that worry me...

you can get your car registration blocked, if you can show need (one category this is available for is scientists to stop ALF scum finding out where they live). Someone I know got pulled by the police once, as his was blocked, and they wanted to know why they couldn't get his details from DVLA...

I'm not sure "I'd like to park for free at McD's" would quite qualify as a good reason for blocking ;)

I found out about this change in the legislation about 6 months ago after seeing a sign I thought was nonsense in a Tesco car park. After some research, turned up the above referenced legislation. Shocking.

The ability to identify the owner of a car can sometimes be important in tackling both criminal and civil wrongs. But here, there was no problem. All that has happened is that greedy supermarkets and others have now been given (on a plate) the opportunity to rake in some extra cash. This was not what the legislation intended.

Strictly, unless the company can clearly establish that you have agreed to pay £125 if you park for more than 45 mins (which would require proof that the person saw the relevant sign, and agreed to it), you would only be liable for what a court assessed would be the damages for the trespass. For a 15min overstay, that I guess that would be about 25p.

Not that easy. They'd have to prove you entered into a contractual agreement which you then breached. For that to be the case you'd have to have provided consideration --- and parking your car for free doesn't appear to qualify as consideration ceteris paribus. I would not pay.

Not sure about that. You are getting the use of the land to park the car, they are entitled to charge for that use (the court would award some - perhaps nominal - sum for trespass). As long as the other contractual elements were there, there would be sufficient consideration in the provision of parking on private land.

Yes - I can appreciate McD's situation as well as Tesco's, Sainsbury's et al when they have car parks near to town centres. However, Gatwick's MaccySquealers does have notoriously slow service (if the US philosophy of "if it ain't ready in 2 minutes, it's fee" was adopted, McD's at Gatwick would bankrupt the group!)

Under the circumstances, would it not be a bit fairer (and help to retain customers' goodwill) to retain the 45 minutes limit on the signage, but, privately, for the management to allow say 30 minutes leeway before charging. ..........and why a fixed charge of £125? Why not £25 plus the admin cost of DVLA searching for up to say 2 hours over the limit?

IMHO very few of the limo drivers or chaffeurs sit around for hours with an 80p coffee. Most will opt for the Big Brekkie or the Double McLardarse (do you want fries with that?)

I guess they'll now be heading off to the McDonalds at Sainsbury's, West Green, Crawley with its few hundred free parking spaces - oops, have I made a suggestion here!!!

Or the car park where Next outlet is and it's on the right side of the road too.

Oh! You mean "County Oaks" (locally pronounced "Cahn'y Orcs") There's not McD's there, only some Eastern European chicken type wrap stand!

This thread got me thinking (which isn't too bad after the lunch I had yesterday) but a few years back we flew EK into Gatwick (North Terminal).

Met the chauffeur in arrivals and he escorted us down a rabbit warren of corridors (I had admittedly been travelling for 24hrs and abusing EK's rather generous hospitailty for much of that) and out a fire exit to a row of waiting cars.

Would love to know where that was and if anyone can just park up there (this was 2003 btw).

There's a South Terminal now?:confused:

Why not just introduce barriers?

Would charging for parking at this McDonalds really hit their business that badly?

£4 for the first 45 minutes then £100 for an hour? :D

^

I had an interesting case of this at University. In my first year students are not allowed to keep cars in halls of residence which was fine and I'd left it at home. One morning I found an envelope underneath my door. Was a s**togram from the University and final notice for the payment of a fine due for my car that was illegally parked on one of the roads around the halls. If payment wasn't made bailiffs would be sent round :eek: Payment was due the following day, and the letter had been written about two weeks prior (good old University mail). The letter didn't have a phone number and so I mentioned this on the phone to my father when I called that evening. He wasn't best pleased :D Did some phoning around and it turned out the University (or someone they contract) found out this car was registered to someone with my surname. That was all they went on with this, not the fact my address was 100 miles away from the offending person with the same surname.

Knowledge = Power? God I hope not!

Can't believe the fuss. McDonalds are perfectly within their rights to do this, why should they lose custom because of these selfish drivers.

The times I have gone into the McDonalds and not been able to park because they are full of taxis and other cars with drivers just sat having a coffee or a chat while they wait is really annoying.

Well done McDonalds.

...due to a requirement from the local council - who also required that the nice tennis courts be concreted to provide 1 parking place for every 2 bedrooms in order to grant planning permission. :mad: