Volunteers collected one tonne of rubbish from a nearby nature reserve including shopping trolleys and pair of false boobs
Volunteers collected one tonne of rubbish from a nearby nature reserve including shopping trolleys and pair of false boobs
The leader of a community group said a parking fine felt “like a slap in the face” after clearing one tonne of rubbish from a Wirral nature reserve. Four fines had been given out by Smart Parking for volunteers going over a three hour time limit.
The New Brighteners is a volunteer community group that looks to keep areas around New Brighton and Wallasey clean and free of rubbish. Twice a year the group descend on the Bidston Moss nature reserve to clear away litter and park in the nearby Junction One retail park car park.
During their pick on November 16, Steve Taylor from the group said they picked up shopping trolleys that had been hauled from the undergrowth with grappling hooks, 50 to 60 bags of rubbish, a car roof box, two burnt out motorbikes, and even a pair of false boobs. He said the waste was more than a tonne in total and was later collected by Wirral Council’s contractor Biffa through a partnership they have with the local authority.
Mr Taylor said the clear up took longer than expected due to the huge amount of rubbish they found. He also said he had arrived earlier to speak to McDonald’s about litter issues as well as B&Q to let them know they would be leaving the rubbish at their end of the car park for collection
However just days before Christmas, Mr Taylor got a fine of £100 through the post telling him that he had been there 21 minutes over the three hour parking limit. He, and two other volunteers, later got fined again following another litter pick in the area.
He accepted he parked over the limit but thought Smart Parking should have taken into account the amount of work involved as well as benefits to the community. He also worried the fines could put off volunteers from helping out with their clean ups of the nature reserve, an area he said was “quite a unique place” that was “sort of off the beaten track.”
He said: “I was disgusted, largely because they didn’t consider what we did as being of any benefit or any sort of reason they should even begin to consider rescinding the parking fine.”
Mr Taylor said he tried appealing the first fine but was unsuccessful despite presenting evidence of the clean up and later paid the fine. He told the LDRS: “That fine was just a slap in the face,” adding: “They said we do not give a toss and we just want your money.”
Since raising the issue, the volunteer said B&Q, one of the key stores on the retail park, had also taken the issue up on their behalf offering to provide exemptions for volunteers’ vehicles in future.
A Smart Parking spokesperson said: “Smart Parking were brought in to manage the car park at the Bidston Moss retail park to prevent parking abuse and to ensure genuine customers can always find somewhere to park.
“At the car park, we operate a state-of-the-art ANPR parking management system that monitors vehicles both entering and exiting. Across the car park there are numerous signs that clearly outline the terms and conditions of use, including that you can only park for up to 3 hours.
“In the case Mr Taylor and his colleagues, they all parked for well over 3 hours, and none of them requested any special parking amnesty related to their charitable work, so they were all correctly issued charges.
“However, as an act of goodwill, these charges have now been cancelled.”
A McDonald’s spokesperson said they “strive to be a good neighbour in the communities we serve” and take litter “very seriously.” The firm said their Bidston Moss team “carried out daily litter patrols in local communities, collecting all litter not just McDonald’s branded packaging” and bought more litter bins. B&Q were also approached for comment.