A TEACHER who was too slow doing her weekly shop has been fined by the store.

Gill Couzens is refusing to shop at Tesco after she was slapped with a £30 bill for spending two hours and 20 minutes shopping and eating in the store.

Mrs Couzens, 52, of Hernhill, shopped in the Faversham store then met a friend for lunch in the restaurant. But when she returned to her car she found a ticket fining her £30 for exceeding the two-hour parking limit.

And, although she complained to the store manager and head office, Tesco would not relent.

Mrs Couzens said: “Legally I haven’t got a case but morally, but I feel outraged. Ladies who lunch don’t hurry. You meet someone in the aisles and chat and the time passes.”

Now the mother-of-two does her shopping at the Co-op or Sainsbury as a protest. She said: “Since Tesco first arrived in Faversham with their many promises of a sympathetic approach to parking I have been a loyal customer. Not any more. Tesco profits will not be boosted by me.”

A spokesman for the supermarket giant said: “We have adopted a time limit of two hours in an effort to curb abuse of the car park. This is made very clear through notices in the entrance to the car park.

“The proximity of the store to the town centre meant that many people were using the car park for very long periods, leaving no spaces for customers visiting the store. In consultation with the local authorities it was deemed that two hours free parking gave customers long enough to visit the store, and then pop into town if they wished.

“We are keen to ensure that there are spaces for our customers when they come to shop with us.”