Parking restrictions at a retail park have been branded "ridiculous" by dozens of shoppers who have been fined £100 for staying for more than three hours.

Cafe owner Jacqui Geen is among a number of visitors who have hit out at the rules at Ashford Retail Park in Sevington after receiving a ticket last month.

She has been a regular shopper at the site for a number of years and spent three hours and 20 minutes visiting the stores unaware restrictions were in place.

Signs say shoppers can park for free for up to three hours but Mrs Geen – who runs The Little Teapot and Little Teacup cafes in Ashford town centre with her husband – says they are not obvious enough and has vowed never to return.

"On the way in when you're driving, watching the road, watching for pedestrians and looking for the shop you’re heading to, you don’t look at signs," she said.

"They have recently introduced Greggs, there are so many big shops there, three hours could go in the blink of an eye.

"Why would you restrict people who are shopping and spending money?

"With the high street and industrial parks struggling, people are shopping online, this is not going to encourage people to walk into shops.

"People will say there are signs up so it's your own fault, but my reason for speaking out is not because I don't think I should pay it, it's because I don’t think a lot of people know about this three hour rule.

"I would like more obvious signs.

"If I can save one more person from getting a ticket, that’s my goal."

Mrs Geen is not the only one who has complained about the restrictions in the Barrey Road retail park, with one shopper calling them an "absolute joke".

Fourteen people have left reviews on Parkopedia over the last year sharing a similar experience.

One commenter said: "Spent an enjoyable afternoon at the retail park, spent lots in Dunelm and B&M and relaxed with a bite to eat.

"[I then had a] fine through the door for overstaying by 30 minutes.

"For a retail park tucked away on the edge of town the parking restrictions are strange.

"Been going here for 10 years, will not be going back on principle. Absolute joke."

'I've never known a retail park have a three-hour limit...'

Another said: "I have used this shopping area for 10 years and never saw any sign about time restrictions.

"With the retail industry on its knees, this is yet another death knell as more and more people will shop online."

On August 2, one disgruntled shopper who overstayed by 17 minutes wrote: "Spent hundreds of pounds in TK Maxx, Dunelm, Boots and had a coffee and snack in the coffee shop.

"Been many times before never noticed any signage of time restrictions.

"Why any restrictions are needed I can’t imagine.

"It’s not near enough to the town centre or train station that anyone would want to leave their car there unless they were shopping on the retail park.

"What total disregard for their customers, they don’t deserve to have them. I for one will not be giving those stores my custom."

One visitor who took their disabled mum for a coffee and bought a sofa from DFS said: "Got a fine and didn't even see signs.

"Not from Ashford and never known a retail park have a three-hour limit.

"Never going back there again. Ridiculous as we did a lot of shopping!

"I chose there so I didn't have to keep getting my mum's wheelchair out of the boot of my car going shop to shop. So annoyed."

A spokesman from Group Nexus, which runs the car park, said there are a total of 25 signs, one at the main entrance and 24 attached to posts with terms and conditions.

They added: "The signage is displayed in compliance with the British Parking Association code of practice which requires, amongst other things, at least one sign to be visible from every viewpoint in the car park.

"We have been operating this site since 2017, the maximum stay period and number of signs have not changed during that time."

The signs note that no return is allowed within one hour and that the fine can be reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.

This is not the first time fines dished out from the retail park have caused frustration.

Soon after restrictions were introduced in 2017, scores of motorists who got stuck on the estate during the Easter bank holiday traffic were fined despite traffic being at a standstill.

The same happened in 2020 when a woman who was forced to spend an extra three hours in her car while trying to get out of the car park was fined £100.