A lad who left Darlington’s notorious Feethams car park when he couldn’t pay only to be slapped with a £100 fine has been threatened with legal action two years on, despite not hearing from car park bosses since.

In June 2022 Karl Bracken, then 19, found himself at war with bosses of the DL1 Feethams Leisure Car Park having spent 13 minutes there parking then trying unsuccessfully to pay online.

Not wanting to leave his car without coughing up he went elsewhere but landed a £100 fine after car park owners Excel Parking said he was there eight minutes too long.

Karl and mum Vikki never paid the fine, arguing it was unfair as he “did the honest thing”, and hadn’t heard from Excel again.

Only earlier this month Karl, from Ferryhill, got a letter from debt recovery law firm Elms Legal saying they had been instructed to collect a now £170 fine.

But Karl and Vikki believe that is unfair after car park bosses agreed to introduce new contactless payment methods to address issues with the app and internet access after dozens of customers reported connectivity issues causing problems since the Echo told Karl’s story two years ago.

Karl Bracken's Parking Charge Notice showing he was parked for just 13 minutes before deciding to leave the car park when he says his payment would not process.Karl Bracken's Parking Charge Notice showing he was parked for just 13 minutes before deciding to leave the car park when he says his payment would not process. (Image: STUART BOULTON) Karl’s mum Vikki Bracken, a former nurse, told the Echo: “They are still pursuing those who were fined under a broken system. They know it was a broken system because they’ve agreed to change it.

“To me, they are just being greedy.”

Vikki contacted Elms Legal on November 14 telling them to look at this paper’s coverage of ongoing problems at the car park.

The promise of changes came after Darlington’s MP Lola McEvoy met with Excel about its “heavy-handed” and “unacceptable” five-minute payment policy, having written to bosses after being “shocked by the number of complaints”.

The Feethams Leisure Car Park.The Feethams Leisure Car Park. (Image: STUART BOULTON) The underground car park has long been criticised for its strict five-minute time constraint - and has been branded a “consistent problem” for customers.

Speaking two years ago Karl said: “It took me a few minutes to get to a bay because there were people pulling in and out in front of me.

“I didn’t have any change so I went to pay online but it wouldn’t take the payment.

“I thought it’d be easier to just go and park somewhere else, which we did, but three weeks later I got a letter saying I’d been fined £100 because I was there longer than the five minutes they give you to pay after entering the carpark.”

An Excel spokesperson said they planned to introduce contactless pay points before they entered discussions with Lola McEvoy, and did not answer our questions on why the firm is pursuing the fine after two years.

They added: “In Mr Bracken’s case we would highlight that he, or his passenger, could have phoned our helpline number on the day to report the problems he was experiencing.

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“While we declined his appeal and re-offered him the discounted amount of the parking charge, he chose to appeal to the Independent Appeals Service (the IAS); at this point, the cost of the parking charge increased to the full amount.

"The IAS, which is free to motorists but at a cost to parking operators, also declined his appeal. In the absence of any payment, the cost of the parking charge escalated.

“As we are in ongoing discussions with Lola McEvoy MP and the IPC it is not appropriate for us to comment generally on the position.”