A delivery driver who was hit with a £100 parking fine has won an appeal - after claiming he was caught out by an UNDERCOVER car.
Philip Baxter was parked up in a loading bay in Spinningfields when his Skoda Octavia was snapped by enforcement officers.
The 31-year-old from Stalybridge says he was sitting in his parked vehicle outside the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in March when he was photographed by parking enforcement officers, who were concealed inside an unmarked vehicle.
Mr Baxter was hit with a hefty fine but swiftly appealed the decision on the grounds that the officers - working for ES Parking Enforcement Limited (ESPEL) - violated the Independent Parking Committee code of practice by using "predatory tactics".
He provided dash-cam evidence claiming the photograph of him parked up was taken from an unmarked green Vauxhall Vectra.
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ESPEL did not contest the appeal and last week the Independent Appeals Service overturned the fine.
The adjudicator commented: "they [ESPEL]have not provided any images to prove that the parking charge was correctly issued."
Mr Baxter said: “They’re driving in an unmarked green Vaxhaull Astra, which means they’re using a predatory vehicle.
“I took it to the Independent Adjudicator and I submitted my appeal four weeks ago. I got the result last week.
“The company didn’t even contest my case, they knew what they are doing is wrong.”
The Preston-based firm enforces parking restrictions at more than 640 sites nationwide using patrols and on-call responders.
On their website, the company states: "We tailor our systems to your needs we can offer a fully bespoke package, allowing you to enforce any Terms & Conditions."
Mr Baxter, who was working for Rico Logistics when he was fined, is now warning people about the company's methods.
"They're parking in a loading bay in Hardman Square, taking photos of any car that pulls up into loading bays and giving them £100 fines.
"The only people who know they are there are RBS. When I go into RBS I'll get out of my vehicle and press the buzzer or beep my horn.
"They have a photo of me waiting in the car for the shutters to open. It's an absolute joke." he said.
ESPEL have been approached for a comment.
