An angry shopper says he will never return to The Range after being slapped with a ‘nonsensical’ parking fine.

William Hercock has been a regular customer at the homeware giant's Southend branch since it opened.

But the 69-year-old Leigh resident proclaimed he has made his last visit after being fined £100 by the store’s car parking operator Parkingeye.

Mr Hercock says he arrived at the store shortly before 9am on Sunday, April 18, forgetting it did not open until 10.30am.

After spending under 15 minutes in the car park ‘waiting to see if it would open’ he realised his mistake and left to complete some chores before returning later in the day to shop at the store.

Much to his surprise, he received a £100 fine in the post a week later.

“It’s a load of old nonsense really, he said. “The sign that you go in past just mentions the car park has a maximum stay of two hours with no mention of parking outside of opening hours. The other signs which do are not easy to see.”

Parkingeye, the company which operates The Range’s car park, claims the signage is clearly visible and stands by the decision.

Mr Hercock appealed the fine but was rejected by both Parkingeye and POPLA – an independent appeals service for Parking Charge Notice.

“I mean, it was stupid of us to go there on a Sunday that early,” admitted Mr Hercock. “But we just waited to see if anything was happening and then left quickly.

“It feels like these companies are dishing out these cheap tickets on a regular basis and it’s just crazy.”

Mr Hercock says the experience has put him off returning to the store.

“I’ve told The Range I’m not going to shop there anymore, on principle. I spent £562 in the last year in that shop and they won’t be getting it from me next year.

“Not with that sort of fascist state looking over me,” he quipped.

A Parkingeye spokesperson said: “The car park has prominent and highly-visible signage throughout clearly stating that a two-hour maximum stay operates on a Sunday from 10.30am to 4.30pm, and that there is no parking allowed outside these times.

“The motorist used the car park outwith this designated time period and a result he correctly received a Parking Charge Notice.

“We encourage all motorists to use the parking facilities responsibly and to read the signs before deciding if they wish to park.

“We would add that Parkingeye operates a BPA (British Parking Association) audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal their Parking Charge Notice. If anyone has mitigating circumstances we would encourage them to highlight this by appealing. All motorists are also entitled to a further appeal via POPLA, the independent body which reviews all cases.”