COMMUTERS who park at St Neots railway station have had their parking fines scrapped after a story in last week s Hunts Post. Car park operator NCP is understood to have sent an internal e-mail to staff saying the tickets issued in the station car park on

COMMUTERS who park at St Neots railway station have had their parking fines scrapped after a story in last week's Hunts Post.

Car park operator NCP is understood to have sent an internal e-mail to staff saying the tickets issued in the station car park on Monday, February 25, were to be cancelled.

About 40 drivers were given parking penalty notices on that day despite all of them having paid for a ticket - some motorists had paid £750 for an annual parking ticket.

The only offence was to park outside of the marked bays - an established practice at the often overcrowded car park.

While the cancellation of the fines will welcomed by all the motorists involved, some were left angered by how long it took to get through to someone at NCP.

One motorist Chris Teale, 34, said it took him 20 minutes to get through on the phone.

However, when The Hunts Post tried to call them we were hanging on for more than TWO HOURS before giving up.

Mr Teale, who lives in Cambourne and commutes to London to work as senior commercial manager for HSBC, said: "I parked next to the railings out of the way and I have parked there plenty of times. It was quite late when I got home and I was baffled.

"I rang the number for NCP printed in last week's Hunts Post and when I did get through the person was quite helpful.

"She said it was ridiculous and that I should send the parking fine notice with a covering letter and it would be destroyed.

"The parking has only recently been taken over by NCP. They put a lick of paint on the parking bays and increased the price of the annual parking ticket from just under £600 to £750.

"They have got you over a barrel. You have no choice but to park at the station.

"When I started commuting I found a spot on a nearby housing estate. The first day one of my wing mirrors was bent, the second day both of them and the third day there was a note on the car saying if I parked there again, I shouldn't expect to find the car intact when I got back.

"It added that there was a car park at the station and the writer suggested I use it."

Last week, The Hunts Post reported that commuter Leslie Rhymer, who works for a fire protection company, had pledged to go to prison rather than pay his £25 fine.

He said: "Once the bays are full, we park in a line. This is a system we have devised between ourselves. We are not blocking anyone in and we are not blocking the way for emergency vehicles."

After two hours of hanging on the telephone, NCP was unavailable for comment.