By JOSE RAMOS, NEWS REPORTER
Drivers have been caught hiding their number plates in a protest against parking firms.
Some motorists covered plates with bin bags, cardboard and rags, while others removed them altogether in an effort to avoid ANPR cameras.
The tactic was spotted by Sam Peters, 34, from Worcester, during a trip to Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall.
He said: 'Several vehicles had makeshift covers fixed to their registration plates.'
Footage shows vans parked by the seaside with cardboard stuck to the partially covering the number plates, while others use paper to do the same.
But others went to the lengths to completely cover their plates with what seems to be bin bags.
Obscuring your number plate can lead to a £1,000 fine - if you can be identified.
The stunt filmed over the Bank Holiday weekend comes amid growing anger over private firms running public car parks.
Pictures show vans parked by the seaside with cardboard stuck to the partially covering the number plates while others use paper to do the same
The tactic was spotted by beachgoer Sam Peters, 34, at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall
Others went to the lengths to completely cover their plates with what seems to be bin bags
It follows the case of Hannah Robinson, 21, from Stockton-on-Tees, who was hit with £11,390 in penalties after failing to buy a ticket within five minutes of parking in Darlington.
She racked up 67 fines under Excel Parking’s strict rules, with £100 added for each plus £70 debt recovery charges.
The firm later took her to court, but its claim was thrown out, and it was ordered to pay £10,240 to charity.
She told the BBC she was 'relieved' the hearing was over: 'It has been extremely stressful and frustrating; I constantly worried what letters I was receiving or who was going to knock at the door after the threats.
'I feel happy that they [Excel Parking] are getting a taste of what it felt like for me.'
Excel plans to appeal the judgment in Ms Robinson's case.
Cornwall isn't the only holiday hotspot to be hit by parking rows.
Bournemouth deputy mayor George Farquhar recently slammed his own council over plans to charge residents £70 to park outside their homes.
The stunt filmed over the Bank Holiday weekend comes amid growing anger over private firms running public car parks
Hannah Robinson, pictured, of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, was slapped with the £11,390 bill by Excel Parking after amassing nearly 70 fines in a car park in nearby Darlington
She tried to appeal them but received a letter (pictured) in February last year ordering her to the charges - £100 for each of her 67 fines, plus a £70 debt collection fee for each one
The Liberal Democrat-led Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council argue that pirate parkers are happy to pay the existing £35 maximum fine so sterner measures are needed.
Miles of road are set to be littered with new meters under the scheme, including the residential areas of Sandbanks, Canford Cliffs, Branksome Chine, Westcliff, Boscombe and Southbourne.
But this means home owners will pick up the slack, paying £70 per car on their own streets.
Mr Farquhar complained: 'This time next year we could all be paying between £70 to £252 for a pay-to-park permit.
'We only heard about this consultation a day before it was made public. As such we have had no approach made for our feedback on parking issues in the neighbourhood or how to tackle them.
The mayor, pictured, who is originally from Dunfermline, Scotland, is leading the fight to stop the parking scheme in its tracks
The mayor insisted that neither the fines nor the new permits would put tourists off parking their cars in disruptive places
The councillor insisted that neither the fines nor the new permits would put tourists off parking their cars in disruptive places
Councillor Richard Herrett, portfolio holder for destination, leisure and commercial operations at BCP Council, said the extra revenue will pay for more tow-trucks to take away more illegally parked cars.
He said: 'We welcome more than 10 million visitors annually to our seafront.
'We know at busy times we have a significant issue with illegal or inconsiderate parking. This significantly impacts road safety and can affect the quality of life for local residents.
'These proposals to extend seafront paid-for parking could generate revenue for additional parking enforcement and give us the ability to better enforce illegal parking across a wider area, including increasing the number of vehicles which could be towed away in the worst parking instances.'
