A McDONALD’S customer isn’t loving it after he was given a parking ticket for going to the fast food restaurant twice in two hours.

Rather than getting a Big Mac, Dave Taylor was given a big bill when he was sent a £50 fine for visiting the McDonald’s in Cowdray Avenue, Colchester.

Mr Taylor, an industrial chemist, of Chestnut Walk, Canvey, got the fine after buying a burger, then returning about 70 minutes later to collect a cup of coffee for his journey back to his home in Canvey Island.

He said: “I could not believe it. I was very angry.”

Along with his fine, Mr Taylor was sent the photographic evidence of him pulling up in his car twice.

He said he understood signs were there explaining to people they could not return within two hours, but it did not make it clear this would also apply to customers.

He added: “I did not even give it a second thought, as I was going back there as a genuine customer.”

McDonald’s has said it will waive the ticket, but bosses admitted a number of genuine customers were being caught out by the two-hour rule.

Mr Taylor said: “I was told they would sort it out and they have about 50 instances like mine a week where genuine McDonald’s customers have been fined just for coming back within two hours.

“But I have still got to send back the fine and sort it all out.”

Steven Hayward, spokesman for McDonald’s, said customers should alert managers or staff as soon as they realised they were returning within the two hours so they could verify their records to avoid a ticket being sent.

He said: “It was a last resort to bring in these parking restrictions because it really did become a massive problem.

“People were using up the spaces reserved for genuine customers when they were not intending to go into the restaurant.

“It is never our intention for genuine customers to be penalised and I am glad this man has appealed and it has now been sorted.

“It really was a reluctant step to start issuing tickets and the registration numbers are used for no other purpose than to check the parking facilities are not being abused.”