Consumer loses private parking fine case

On April 23, 2015, London’s Court of Appeal handed down a judgement of the Beavis v Parking Eye case. This case concerned parking charges that can legally be issued by private parking companies in the United Kingdom (England and Wales). As the private parking scene in the UK bears many similarities to the private parking industry in Australia, the decision could have an indirect impact on court decisions made in Australia. The case concerned a retail supermarket car park that had two hours of free parking. It had started at the County Court where Barry Beavis had been taken to by Parking Eye. Mr Beavis lost the County Court case and decided to appeal the decision to the Court of Appeal. In the Court of Appeal, the parking company (which uses the trading name “Parking Eye”) won the case. This decision was bad news for drivers and consumers in the United Kingdom, and good news for big business. A full description of the Court of Appeal case is included in this attached PDF. Note that since the Court of Appeal decision, Mr Beavis has appeal to England’s Supreme Court and the hearing is currently planned for July 21, 2014.