Wardens' ticket blitz at council car park with out-of-order machine

ROTHERHAM Council has been accused of driving shoppers away from the town centre after wardens ticketed vehicles in a car park where the payment machine was out of order.

Ticket inspectors were on patrol last Thursday at the Riverside car park off Corporation Street, and several cars were hit with tickets.

The out-of-order machine, which has since been repaired, carried a notice saying people should pay using the RingGo app — which charges a 20p administration fee — or park elsewhere.

But one shopper who spoke to the Advertiser said he felt this policy had not been widely advertised and suggested it would put off shoppers from coming to town, especially as using RingGo is more difficult and costly.

A council spokesperson said: “The parking machine at Riverside car park has been repaired by our contractor and is fully operational again, but we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Customers can pay to park by using the RingGo cashless payment service, which costs an additional 20p per stay.

“This gives customers the option to use the RingGo app or call the local telephone number printed on the machine.

“A sign on the machine clearly instructs motorists: ‘If machine is out of order, please pay by phone or park in an alternative place.’”