A COMMUTER who received five fines after parking at Colchester North station has had them quashed on appeal... and now wants to help other victims of unfair tickets.

Charles Clover has promised not to rest until National Car Parks (NCP) is held to account after it issued him with the tickets months after the so-called offences.

Dedham Vale Society chairman Mr Clover has written to his MP Sir Bernard Jenkin asking him to press the firm for answers.

He said: “I am absolutely delighted but I am going to get even.

“I know for a fact there are other people out there who have received these unfair fines.

“They have cancelled my tickets because they would not get through the appeal process let alone the courts.”

The five fines, totalling £375, landed on Mr Clover’s doorstep just before Christmas.

However they related to stays in the car park, where prices have just increased by nearly ten per cent for the third year running, in August and November.

After advice from a lawyer friend, Mr Clover, who is executive director of charity Blue Marine Foundation, wrote a detailed appeal letter.

In it he explained that according to the British Parking Association, all parking fines should be served by NCP within 14 days.

Mr Clover, who helped write Prince Charles’s book called Highgrove: Portrait of an Estate, also believes the new parking system at the station, which records registration plates, does not work correctly.

“I think they have caused a lot of really awful stress for people at Christmas on the basis of something which is not right,” he said.

“There was no grace or favour in their response to my appeal. They have not apologised or given me the £20 I was overcharged by their system back.

“It took me two days to research and write my appeal letter at Christmas. I am a very busy man and I should be compensated for my time.”

He added: “I want it to be clear to other people who have received these fines NCP crumbled on a well-written appeal note because they know they are in the wrong.

“I am calling on NCP to review all the fines it has served in the last six months to see if they have been served legally and if not to refund customers what they have been fined.”

NCP did not respond to The Gazette’s requests for comment at the time of going to press.