A driver is disputing a £100 parking charge, claiming a stretch of road next to a supermarket functions as a scheme to extract money from unsuspecting shoppers.

Marius Anghel, who lives in Eastbourne, was issued with a penalty by NCP (National Parking Control) after leaving his car on Twin Oaks Drive, adjacent to the Lidl outlet in Polegate, on Sunday March 1.

The 41-year-old had visited the store with his partner and driven around the extremely busy car park three times without finding a vacant space, eventually deciding to park on Twin Oaks Drive.

Since the road leads straight to the Lidl entrance, Marius regarded it as additional parking provision.

The highway contains no double yellow lines or other indicators that would signal a penalty for parking there.

Although a notice fixed to a lamppost warns motorists against parking on roadways/yellow lines/paved/hatched or landscaped areas and states that breaches incur a £100 charge, Marius argues the sign is not particularly conspicuous or positioned in a manner that would clearly inform drivers at the point of entering or choosing to park.

Despite a sign reading private road, no parking, Marius understood this to mean the road was privately owned by Lidl for customer use.

An NCP sign on the road stating terms and conditions apply, see signs in car park for details led Marius to believe the Lidl car park regulations covered Twin Oaks Drive. Signs in the store’s parking area allow 90 minutes of free parking.

A notice at the Lidl entrance specifies that parking restrictions at the supermarket extend to Twin Oaks Drive.

He explained that because the road is directly next to the Lidl store, he genuinely believed it was connected to the Lidl premises and could be used by customers when the main car park was full. He said there was nothing that immediately indicated to him that parking there would incur a £100 parking charge.

He added that shortly after he received a PCN stating that parking was not permitted at any time in that location. He said this situation has left him quite bewildered, as the area seems closely associated with the Lidl site and it is not apparent to visitors that it may be a separate privately enforced road.

He expressed his belief that this situation could readily confuse other customers visiting the store, particularly when the Lidl car park becomes full, as drivers may assume the nearby road is an extension of the retail parking area.

Marius had previously parked along this road without receiving a fine, and Google Maps imagery shows numerous vehicles parked along the same section.

The section of Twin Oaks Drive where Marius parked and a Google Maps image showing cars parked along the same section of road in 2022.

Marius’s penalty was issued through CCTV monitoring, and upon returning to the location, he noticed that cameras are installed only along the section of road closest to the supermarket entrance, but not further from the store.

He believes they are targeting shoppers and described the setup as a honeytrap.

He stated his belief that the issue is more about unclear layout and inadequate signage rather than drivers deliberately ignoring restrictions.

The care home worker has challenged the fine, with his appeal currently being reviewed.

In the meantime, he sought information regarding ownership and parking enforcement procedures for that area from Polegate Town Council.

A council spokesperson explained that they understand how perplexing the current layout can seem to motorists, particularly where private land around retail units appears visually connected to the store’s own car park.

They confirmed that Birch Road and Twin Oaks Drive are private highways and not part of the public road network, although they are awaiting adoption by East Sussex Highways.

While the land remains under private ownership, the owners and any private parking enforcement company acting on their behalf are legally entitled to impose parking restrictions and charges as they see fit. Neither the town council nor the highways authority can require the owners to alter signage or road markings.

The council spokesperson added that once East Sussex Highways adopts the road in future, private parking controls would no longer apply and they would expect existing enforcement signage to be removed either by the current owners or by the enforcement company before adoption is finalised. Until then, the private arrangements remain in place at the landowner’s discretion. They stated that they fully understand that this situation is not ideal for residents or visitors and that the layout can be misleading, particularly where the Lidl car park is full and nearby private roads appear connected to the retail area.

Lidl confirmed the road is a private route managed by NCP and declined to provide further comment.

NCP did not respond to requests for comment.