Driver furious over 'unfair' parking fine at Kemble rail station

But the company which issued the ticket, APCOA Parking, are adamant that he broke the rules by not parking in a marked space.

Malcolm Dakin, from Cirencester, paid for a parking permit in advance of his two day trip to London last month.

But when he arrived at Kemble station at 1.30pm on January 21, 20 minutes before his train departed, all the spaces in the car park were full so he left his car in the approach road.

APCOA issued Mr Dakin with a £50 fine which will rise to £100 if it is not paid by this week, because his Land Rover was apparently not in a parking bay and was causing an obstruction.

However, Mr Dakin said his vehicle was not causing an obstruction as there was three metres of space between his Land Rover and the other side of the road.

He said he parked on the entrance road because otherwise he would have missed his train and therefore a medical appointment in London.

Mr Dakin said the First Great Western (FGW) ticket attendant at the station who sold him the parking permit failed to tell him he would not be able to park in the car park if it was full.

Mr Dakin, 73, said: “It is unfair. I did not realise there was a problem. There was absolutely nowhere to park. I would have put a note on my window if I knew they were going to take action like that."

Andrew Fitzsimons, a spokesman for APCOA, said: “The terms of parking clearly state that vehicles must be parked in a marked or authorised bay. Mr Dakin’s vehicle was obviously not parked within a parking bay, which is why he was issued with a parking charge notice.”

He added that FGW staff are aware they should inform customers that the car park is operated on a first come first serve basis.

The Standard is running a petition calling for FGW to create more spaces at the 220-bay Kemble station.

Add your name at change.org/p/first-great-western-create-more-parking-spaces-at-kemble-rail-station, or by visiting our office in Dyer Street, Cirencester or Kemble Post Office.