By ASHLEIGH MCCAULL
Cornwall drivers have been left shocked after being hit with parking fine notices years after they were issued.
One woman said she was slapped with a £170 ticket from a debt recovery company two years after her stay in Polzeath.
Jill Rae had already paid for parking the day her fine is said to have come from, and thought she had already dealt with the wrongly issued ticket.
The 71-year-old said she and her husband had been staying in the holiday spot during March 2023 when they pulled up at the Sea View car park.
Jill's husband paid for the bay and the pair left within the allocated time but, after their holiday, received a fine from Alliance.
After sending the physical receipt as proof that she coughed up the cash, Jill didn't hear anything more - until now.
The OAP received a letter saying the debt recovery agency will take court action if she doesn't pay the £170.
The pensioner explained that she's really worried: 'I've just been doing everything I can. I've been in touch with Citizens Advice, who put me onto National Debtline.
A number of drivers around Cornwall have taken to social media to voice their frustrations about receiving parking fines from two years ago (file photo)
'I've also emailed Ben Maguire, your MP, who said that he was aware of a lot of problems in the area,' Jill said.
After sharing her concerns on Facebook, she discovered she's not alone and many others are experiencing a similar headache.
John Andrews said: 'I had a run-in with Alliance Parking recently. Really had to fight my case, provided evidence of paying for a parking ticket. In the end, they reduced the 'fine' to £20. Paid it just to get rid of them.'
Boe Lovegrove added: 'A friend of mine has recently received two letters from Alliance Parking relating to incidents from 2022 in a Cornish beach carpark, neither of which she has any recollection of or had had any correspondence regarding at all in the last three years.
'They are demanding over £150 pounds for each one. Really odd!'
Sara-Jane Tossoun mentioned she got in touch with Citizens Advice Cornwall who suggested getting in touch with Alliance Parking and asking for a subject access request - which is a copy of any correspondence sent to motorists.
A spokesperson for Alliance said: 'We would like to clarify that we retain a Certificate of Postage for every letter we issue. All correspondence is automatically sent via our hybrid mail provider, where it is printed, enclosed, and transferred to Royal Mail for delivery. As such, we can demonstrate that every notice we generate is dispatched.
'Under UK law, any notice sent by post is presumed to have been delivered on the second working day after posting, unless proven otherwise. For these purposes, a 'working day' excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays in England and Wales (see paragraph 9(6) of Schedule 4 to the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012).'
Alliance explained the three reasons for motorists claiming they didn't receive a parking charge, including vehicles' registration details not being updated and a rare delivery failure from Royal Mail.
The debt collector explained that another reason includes motorists receiving the notice, but only engaging once debt recovery begins.
Alliance targeted misinformation on social media, saying Facebook comments claiming people can ignore the fines are wrong.
'This is incorrect; such charges are fully enforceable in law. Claims of non-receipt are sometimes made in an attempt to secure a discounted rate, which is why the statutory presumption of delivery exists,' Alliance added.
Meanwhile, Citizens Advice Cornwall is warning motorists of scammers sending fake emails, texts, and letters claiming agents are recovering money for fines.
'If the company is asking you to pay via PayPal or bank transfer it's very likely a scam. If it directs you to a website for payment that doesn't look right, with unusual grammar or no office address be suspicious.
'Check the URL - if it doesn't begin with 'https' or is similar but not quite the same as an official site, such as having a minor spelling error, it's probably a fake site.
'If you think the letter is genuine, don't ignore it, as it could lead to bailiffs being involved and could affect your credit rating. If in doubt, please contact us at Citizens Advice.'
