Sleeping in your car in a motorway service station can get you a parking ticket!

London, Sept 18 (ANI): When Emma Faulkner pulled into a motorway service station for a quick nap, a ticket was something she least expected.

Emma was 35 miles from home when she stopped at the near empty services on the M6 for a refreshing four-hour sleep, after she got tired during the long journey.

However, she got a bolt from the blue when days later she received a letter from private firm Parking Eye telling her to pay 50 pounds for outstaying a two-hour parking limit.

•   E-mail Article
•   Printer Friendly
•   Text-Size    

Livid Emma refused to pay the fine saying that there was no parking warning sign, no employee to tap on her window while she was sleeping inside the car.

A computer snapped her car arriving at midnight and leaving at 4.30am at Lymm services near Warrington, Cheshire.

"I kept stopping because I was tired and I really didn't want to fall asleep. I didn't see any sign saying only two hours. I'm genuinely horrified. They are always on about safe driving and having a break if you are feeling tired," The Daily Express quoted her, as saying.

Emma, a waitress on the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship said: "They surely can't expect you to book into a hotel room for four-and-a-half hours?"

A spokesman for Parking Eye said: "The signage within the motorway service station is very clear, stating that if a motorist wishes to park for longer than two hours, there is a fee.

"That said, we are happy to review any case if a motorist feels there are extenuating -circumstances."

However, motorist support group roadsidelawyer.com said letters demanding payment are not official legal fines.

"The standard procedure is for them to huff and puff a lot and churn out an endless stream of letters talking of imminent legal proceedings. The reality is that letters are cheap and taking you to court is expensive," said a spokesman. (ANI)