'Common sense prevails' as Kettering Next sale shoppers have parking tickets cancelled

Dozens of parking tickets which were given to bargain hunters months after Next’s Kettering Christmas sale have been cancelled after ‘common sense prevailed’.

Shoppers queued outside the fashion retailer bright and early on December 27 when it opened its doors at 6am for its festive event.

In June, six months after the sale, many were stunned when a £100 parking charge for using the car park in Carina Road landed on their doormat.

Motorists using the free car park during the day are allowed a maximum stay of three hours. Between 10pm and 7am that reduces to just 15 minutes – and because Next had not told the car park’s owners about the event visitors were handed parking tickets.

But after the Northants Telegraph raised shoppers’ complaints with parking firm GroupNexus the charges were rescinded.

Laura Batten got to the car park at 5.20am on the morning of the sale, when about 30 cars were already parked up, and received a charge last month.

She said: “I was very pleased that common sense prevailed and CBRE, who own the car park, acted swiftly to contact the parking company to cancel the charge.

"Hopefully Next will ensure that they notify CBRE and the parking company in the future before they have an early morning sale to ensure that it doesn’t happen again to unsuspecting shoppers.”

Debbie Cox drove to the retail park in her husband’s car, pulling up at 5.45am. She was shocked that she ‘went to save a few bob and ended up with a £100 charge’ when a ticket arrived in the post six months later, only for it to be cancelled.

She said: “I couldn’t see any notice about parking as it was dark and I wasn’t expecting it.

"They have sent an email to my husband but no apologies.”

A spokesman for GroupNexus told the Northants Telegraph: “We were not made aware that this event was happening on December 27 last year.

"However, after discussions with our client, any related parking charges will be cancelled.”

Next did not respond to a request for comment.