Tesco shoppers slam ‘ridiculous’ parking rules that could land you with £70 fine

For some of us, there’s great joy to be found in doing a leisurely Tesco supermarket shop.

You can while away a few hours wandering up and down every aisle with your trolley, really paying attention to what’s new in-store, and perhaps even taking time to try on clothing at the likes of Big Tesco.

However, new parking rules at several of the retailer’s locations might have thrown a spanner in the works, as there are now restrictions for those going shopping later in the evening.

One customer has taken to social media after spotting signs that have been put in their local Tesco car park, which state that those shopping between 6am and 8pm can stay for a maximum of three hours, but those visiting Tesco between 8pm and midnight can only park for one hour.

And if you wanted to use the Tesco car park between midnight and 6am, then you can only do so for 30 minutes. 

Posting on X, the shopper, known as @petulantwitch, shared a snap of the sign, which also reveals that Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are in operation in the car park and/or parking attendant patrols. It goes on to warn that those who go over the maximum time limit could find themselves slapped with a £70 fine.

Alongside the image, they wrote: ‘I do my shopping at night so I can wander round without my kids and buy nice things that I can hide and eat by myself. It’s a couple of hours to myself once a week. This new policy sucks.’

They continued: ‘I know to a lot of people this probably seems petty and not a big deal, but to anyone who either has kids or works weird hours and has to shop in the evening, or for anyone neurodivergent it’s absolutely not okay.’

The shopper went on to clarify that the branch of Tesco in question is closed between midnight and 6am, so the 30 minute restriction doesn’t bother them, but claimed they usually went to Tesco at 9pm, and liked to take their time. 

The post has gone viral, being viewed more than one million times and garnering over 9,000 likes. Many fellow shoppers were also upset about the changes to the parking rules.

Nikky (@mentalmidget20) replied: ‘I know people who suffer with anxiety do their shops at night as it’s quiet and a much more calmer atmosphere.’

While Ruth Hill highlighted how these changes could potentially cause issues for those who have disabilities. She said: ‘I have a disability. For many years because I have a disability and typically because I’ve also mostly worked at night, I have chosen to shop between 10pm and 2am. Fewer people to obstruct wheelchairs or create challenges for people with PTSD. This makes a huge difference to my mobility and ACCESSIBILITY. 

‘Did you know it can take as long as 15 minutes to transfer into a wheelchair and another to transfer from a wheelchair?’

Others branded the changes ‘odd’ and ‘ridiculous’ and claimed they would be going elsewhere to shop from now on.

It wasn’t confirmed which specific supermarket these changes were made at, but Tesco stores across the country have been introducing new rules like this throughout 2024, with car parks in Leyland (South Ribble, Lancashire) and Hungerford (Berkshire) being some of the most recent to implement these rules and ANPR cameras.

The Lancashire Post reports that several shoppers at the Leyland Tesco Extra Store have also been given £70 parking fines for ‘overstaying’.

A Tesco spokesperson told Metro: ‘It is important to us that all our customers can find a space when they visit our stores and, where we have parking limits in place, this is to allow us to better manage spaces, and to deter anti-social behaviour in the car park at night, especially outside of opening hours.’

Further information about current parking rules can be found on the FAQ section of Tesco’s website, which explains that parking restrictions vary depending on location, and that some Tesco car parks are operated by outside management companies.

It reads: ‘Free parking is available in most stores but time is limited to a maximum stay, depending on where the store is.

‘Where there is a maximum parking time, our car parks have signs which clearly display the terms and conditions of using the car park, including the maximum stay time. This time limit should also be shown on a sign at the entrance.

‘For car parks operated by APCOA and Horizon Parking, the Parking Charge Notice for overstay is £70, which will be reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days.

‘Where the signage displays the Parking Charge Notice for overstay at £100, this will be reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.

‘We have different parking partners depending on the type of car park used. So you’ll find details about how to pay and the contact information on the Parking Charge Notice you’ve received.’

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