A business owner has refused to enter an outlet centre since becoming embroiled in a £160 parking fine dispute.

Peter Ludlow, who owns Medway Transmissions in Rope Walk, Chatham, used to be a regular customer at the Co-op in Chatham Dockside.

On July 25 he visited the supermarket in the morning for milk and at 3pm to buy ice creams for his staff.

Days later he received a letter claiming he was in the car park from 9.06am to 3.03pm, meaning he overstayed for three hours and 57 minutes and he owed £60.

Mr Ludlow said: “All I bought was a couple of ice creams that doesn’t take five hours.

“The CCTV must have got me entering in the morning and then me leaving in the afternoon, there was probably a delivery lorry in front of a camera.

“I phoned to tell them they got it wrong and a lady said she’d look into it.”

As Mr Ludlow didn’t pay the fine immediately, it increased to £160.

“All I bought was a couple of ice creams that doesn’t take five hours..." - Peter Ludlow

He said: “I’ve been sent threatening letters. I got one on February 18 that said - don’t ignore this, pay the fine within two weeks or we’ll take you to county court.

“They’re fleecing people out of money they didn’t even give me a parking ticket. I’ve got the money but it’s the principle. “

He’s prepared to go to court over the issue.

The car park and CCTV is Shepherd Neame’s, which owns The Ship and Trades at the Dockside, and it outsources it to UK Car Park Management (CPM).

Pub manager Paul Brown said: “If people come to us with proof of purchase, like receipts and bank statements we’re happy to overturn the fines.

“We want to protect our customers and if there are people coming into the Co-op twice in one day that’s something we want to encourage.”

It is not the first time there has been controversy over parking fines issued at the car park.

William and Linda Adams were given £60 parking fine in 2017 after popping into a shop to buy a pint of milk and newspaper.

The cameras did not pick up on Mr Adams leaving after an earlier trip and then re-entering later, making it look as though their Jaguar convertible had been parked for more than five hours.

Wayne Saunders was prepared to go to court to fight three parking fines which he says were wrongly handed out in 2016.

He was snapped by the automatic number plate recognition camera entering the Ship and Trades car park at Chatham Maritime in the evening, but the 45-year-old said the camera failed to capture him leaving again minutes later after buying groceries from the Co-op.

CPM has been approached for comment.