SHOPPERS have reacted with anger after being fined for failing to park within bays at a Poole car park, despite no bays being marked out in the section they were parking in.

Morris Curtis, of Sherwood Avenue, was taking his elderly mother shopping along Ashley Road, Parkstone, when he parked at Jubilee Road car park.

He told the Echo: "We bought a parking ticket and parked on the ground that used to be the site of the toilets.

"To my utter dismay, returning to our car some two hours later, we had a parking penalty on the windscreen.

"I was speechless. Why ever would we get a parking fine when we had paid for a a ticket? We have parked on this part of the site many times in the past with no problem."

Mr Curtis said the ticket issued informed him he was being fined for not parking within a bay.

He said: "But how can we park in a bay when on this bit of ground there are no bays?"

Meanwhile, at least one other motorists appears to have been fined for the same reason.

Chris Garrett, of Stour View Garden, Corfe Mullen, contacted the Echo after also receiving a fine after parking at the same Jubilee Road car park on May 16.

He said: "The car park there used to be a toilet block which was very useful, but due to cut backs it was demolished many years back and a hard standing was put in its place.

"This has been used by many over the years for additional parking.

"To my utter surprise I received a penalty charge for not parking correctly within the marked bay or space.

"The hard standing area has no marked bays and no signs on the wall to indicate not to park there."

Both parties are challenging the fines with BCP Council.

Poole Transportation Manager for BCP Council Richard Pincroft, said: "Users of Jubilee Road car park are directed to park only in marked bays in order to comply with terms and conditions of usage as shown on car park signage.

"Following the removal of the toilet block, this area temporarily housed textile banks and is now vacant. It doesn’t contain marked parking bays. Responding to multiple parking infringements here, we ran a courtesy approach of providing warning notices from February 7-12, 2019.

"During this time sixteen warnings were issued without fines. It was noted that during this time there were no repeat offenders.

"Any cars parking in the aisles or anywhere within the car park that is not a marked parking bay could face a penalty notice.

"Drivers who believe that they were legally parked but received a penalty notice, can challenge it online."