Preston gym-goer racks up parking fines of £700

He claims that numerous fines, now equating to a total of £700, have been sent to his elderly dad's address on different occasions, in a bid to get in touch with him.

Since starting his gym membership at Total Fitness almost three years ago, Gerry told The Post that he was unaware of the parking restrictions and guidelines at first and claims that he wasn't given an induction upon becoming a member.

Gerry, 33, from Leyland, said: "I have been a member for nearly three years now. They have a car park that gym members can use for as long as they want, however you must clock in with vehicle registration if you plan to stay over two hours.

"When I first joined, I had no induction on this requirement so was unaware. As such, it has recently become apparent I have been fined on four occasions which now cost £700."

The car park, managed by Parking Eye, has signage explaining the guidelines - stating that customers are welcome to use the car park for longer than two hours, providing they register vehicle details.

But Gerry claims that the third party company are now sending bailiff letters to his elderly father who has the same name as him, after an unsuccessful stint sending the fines to his previous address where the vehicle was registered.

Gerry said: "I had no clue about the fines because they were being sent to my old address and I don't own that car anymore. They then tracked down my dad's address and have started sending bailiff letters to him - he's an old man and getting anxious about it and they are continuing to harass him with letters.

"If it was just fifty pounds, I wouldn't mind and would have addressed it straight away. I always remember to put in my details and have done for almost three yers ever since this happened to a friend.

"All of these are fines from almost three years ago and given the situation we are in at the moment and how much the gym memberships are, it is utterly deplorable in these hard times.

"People at the gym should be told how to register their details and use the devices instead of just putting signs up. It makes me wonder how many people are getting bent over and fined because they don't know how to use the car park.

"I am self-employed and have lost work due to pandemic and now i have been hit with this, my family are being dragged into it and it seems so wrong."

A Total Fitness spokesperson has confirmed that since being made aware of the issue, they have been in touch with Gerry.

They also confirmed that parking procedures are clearly signposted at the gym and are dealt with by external company Parking Eye.

They said: "The car park at Total Fitness Preston is managed by a third party, Parking Eye, and as such all registration data for vehicles entering and leaving the car park is captured by Parking Eye and cross referenced with the DVLA.

"Any fines incurred are dealt directly between Parking Eye and the members - no information is disclosed to Total Fitness. It is therefore down to members to discuss discrepancies with Parking Eye and the DVLA.

“Inside our health club we have signage detailing the parking procedures, outlining that Total Fitness members may use the local car park for as long as they like, free of charge, provided they log their registration details in the parking portals within the club, if they are planning to stay longer than two hours.

"If this procedure isn’t followed, fines may be incurred. This information is also made clear across multiple signs leading up to the car park and within the car park itself.

“We have only recently been made aware of the issue and have directed Mr Gregoire to the appropriate channels to resolve his issue with Parking Eye.”

A spokesperson for ParkingEye added “Visitors need to register their vehicle at reception if they plan to stay for more than two hours.

“The motorist was issued with parking charge notices (PCN's) after failing to register his vehicle at reception on three separate occasions. There is still the option to appeal each PCN issued, through our British Parking Association audited appeals process.”