Dozens of motorists caught out as Kettering car park charges reinstated

Dozens of motorists using council-owned car parks in Kettering have been issued with tickets after charges were reinstated today (August 9).

Parking in North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) town centre car parks had been free since March last year, to help key workers in the pandemic and to boost town centre footfall.

But car parking charges have now come back into force and those who didn't pay the minimum £2 for two hours will receive an unwelcome surprise on return to their cars.

Signs warning motorists that charges had been reinstated were on display and covers over the parking meters had been removed.

Kettering resident Niall Bacon said: "More should have been done to show that the charges had been reinstated, maybe a meeter-greeter to tell people.

"I read about it in the Northants Telegraph so I was aware of this. I think that the lesson from this is that you cannot assume anything."

The decision to charge again - with Kettering's car parking charges by far the highest in north Northamptonshire - came just days after NNC had agreed to consider free parking for all town centres in the north of the county.

Visiting from London, Jenny Warren had used the car park before and was not aware the parking had been free.

She said: "We have been here before so obviously we had to pay then so we paid today."

Emelia Semineria was running an errand in town and had been told by her mum that the car park was free.

She said: "I parked next to the meter and saw a man paying. My mum had said it was free so I asked him and he said I had to pay.

"I'm glad I parked where I did or I would have just walked away.

"Everyone is going to be very annoyed [with the parking tickets]."

Car parking charges in Kettering's NNC-owned car parks are priced at £2 for two hours, increasing by £1 an hour up to five hours - over five hours is charged at a £6 flat rate. Monday to Thursday 9am to 3pm and Friday and Saturday 9am to 6pm. Sundays and Bank Holidays are free.

https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/dismay-as-ketterings-parking-charges-set-to-be-reinstated-3335743