A car parking company says it is aware of issues after shoppers were slapped with £100 fines.

Customers at The Mall in Maidstone say they have been unfairly hit with bills in the post, despite following rules at the ANPR car park.

Among those affected is data analyst, Steven Rowley, who is a member of PureGym located in the shopping centre.

Users of the health club get two hours free at The Mall but must validate their parking using the tablet near the gym entrance.

The gym says these measures are clearly signposted and it has made sure to remind members.

On August 20, Steven says he entered his registration plate as he usually does.

But, much to his surprise, he received a letter a week later saying he had used the facility without paying and had been issued a penalty as a result.

He said: “The thing with the tablet is you don’t get a receipt with that so it’s really difficult for me to prove it unless I video myself every time I go to the gym.”

And, this isn’t the first time he has been hit with a fine - not long ago, Steven found himself in the same situation but was able to contest it with the aid of the gym.

But now the gym is no longer getting involved in parking disputes, he says.

“According to the gym, they don’t take a record of what numbers are punched into that tablet.

“It sort of bypasses the gym and goes straight through to the parking company.”

A PureGym spokesperson said: “We understand that some members have unfortunately incurred parking fines from the car park provider due to a technical error.

“We suggest that those with tickets or concerns about the parking rules contact a member of the gym team who will always try their best to provide support.”

The City of London employee added: “If I end up having to pay this I’m going to feel properly robbed by them.

“Because of my job, I can’t have any fines against my name.”

But, Steven isn’t alone in facing issues at the car park.

Mum-of-four Emma Bowen says she has also been unfairly fined more than once.

She had also used the facility on August 20 when quickly nipping into a shop for about 20 minutes.

According to The Mall website, there is a 15-minute grace period for drop-offs.

But Emma had mistakenly believed the free period was half an hour so was not surprised when the machine said she had nothing to pay.

She said: “I went to the machine and as I went to pay it said I didn’t need to as I was under the time, so I left.

“I didn’t even think to take a photo.”

Just like Steven she received a letter informing her she has to pay £60 within the deadline, before it jumps up to £100.

She has appealed the penalty, but this has been rejected on the grounds that a 30-minute grace period does not exist, and that if the machine showed no fee to pay, she “should have used an alternative payment method”.

The Mall car park in Romney Place has 1,050 spaces with drivers able to pay at the kiosk, on their mobile phone or reserve a space in advance.

It was taken under the management of YourParkingSpace in 2021 after it under went a digital transformation during the Covid pandemic.

A spokesperson from YourParkingSpace said: "We are aware of the issues some customers have experienced with parking at The Mall shopping centre in Maidstone.

“These problems are related to a recent software update, and our dedicated team is actively investigating the matter.

“Although this affects only a small number of customers, we understand the inconvenience caused and apologise for any disruption.

“Our customer success team is working diligently to address the concerns of those affected and is committed to resolving any issues as quickly as possible.

“We encourage any customers experiencing problems to contact our customer success team directly, who are on hand to offer support and assistance.

“We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding as we work towards a swift resolution."

While the company says only a few customers have been affected, comments made on social media indicate this may be a wider issue.

Some have claimed to have paid the fee but were fined anyway.

Of those, shoppers who said they were able to prove payment using a bank statement were able to contest the penalty, but those who had paid with cash had not been so successful.