Supermarkets across the UK are deploying sophisticated camera technology in their car parks with road users possibly at risk. Most stores will have CCTV cameras installed across their car parks, but some stores have taken it to the next level with dedicated cameras monitoring how long drivers have parked.
Dedicated ANPR technology can read number plates, store details, and work out how long road users have stayed in a particular bay. Many shops have a maximum parking stay of usually a couple of hours, with road users at risk of a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) if they exceed this. A series of popular UK stores, such as Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury's, and Waitrose, have already fitted the technology, with road users likely unaware.
A £100 private parking charge notice is a common amount for parking violations on private land in the UK. Although fines can vary between stores, road users should expect to be hit with penalties of around £100.
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Aldi said: “To make sure there's enough room for everyone, we set a limit for how long you can park. There are signs up in all our car parks to tell you more. It looks like our car park cameras think you stayed longer than the maximum shopping time we set.”
Meanwhile, experts at Horizon Parking have confirmed they were asked to deliver a state-of-the-art ANPR car park system for a number of Sainsbury’s stores. The cameras have allowed stores to introduce a limited free parking period, ensuring that only genuine customers were using the bays.
They explained: “The system reads vehicle number plates on entry and displays them on a local variable message sign, which also informs Sainsbury’s customers when their free parking period expires. A second camera captures number plates as vehicles leave, in order to calculate how long the vehicle has been parked.”
Asda has ANPR camera technology installed at its Basingstoke Store after a collaboration with Hampshire Constabulary. The new cameras have been installed simply to deter petrolheads from organising car meets and combating the rise of anti-social behaviour.
A spokesperson for the Constabulary said: “After working tirelessly with the Council, land owners and Asda, we finally have ANPR cameras covering both entrances into Asda car park in our continued work to stop the unauthorised car meets in Basingstoke.”
Waitrose is also understood to be rolling out ANPR technology on a store-by-store basis with the software believed to be up-and-running at several stores across the country. The cameras have been spotted in Ely in Cambridgeshire, Kenilworth in Warwickshire and Droitwich Spa in Worcestershire.
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