Station trade has taken a turn for the worse as Okehampton’s residents and visitors continue to file reports of unfair parking fines.

Following reports that some station users have received fines from parking management company APCOA, which runs the station’s car park, despite being unable to pay as the ticket machine was broken, the station cafe has said it is now serving fewer customers and adding that employees had experienced angry complaints about the parking.

Shelley Langbridge, who works at the station’s cafe, Bulleid Buffet, said she had seen irritated people entering the cafe believing their business to be associated with APCOA and had taken the brunt of some people’s anger.

She said: ‘Lots of people come in and they are quite irate. They ask us about it but there’s nothing for us to do to help them because we don’t have anything to do with the parking.’

The parking ticket crisis has become so severe that regional TV has covered the story and residents have said they are now wary about using the station in case they receive a fine. Others have taken to social media to warn friends and neighbours against using the car park.

Okehampton resident Trevor Munkenbeck has begun to organise a campaign to resolve the situation and reports that he has now heard from approximately 50 people issued with penalty charge notices (PCNs) with the number continuing to rise.

It is now feared that fewer people will take the train or use the cafe as a social meeting space in order to avoid a possible parking fine. Mr Munkenbeck said that in the course of his investigations he had heard from several residents that they were choosing to use other forms of public transport instead.

In response to the claims of unfair PCNs APCOA said: ‘We are sorry to learn that some GWR customers have recently experienced difficulties at Okehampton Station... Should any customer believe that they have been issued with an incorrect PCN, then the customer is encouraged to contact us through our secure APCOA online portal as we are always happy to help review individual cases’.

Okehampton Town Council will discuss the issue in a meeting on Monday (November 28) after receiving a letter about the problem from Central Devon MP Mel Stride.

In the letter Mr Stride said he had received a letter from a concerned constituent regarding the parking issues and ‘would be grateful for a comment on the concerns.’

The constituent in question wrote: ‘Unfortunately, I understand many people are now being turned away from the facility due to an over zealous use of parking fines by the company running the station car park, APCOA.

‘Nobody feels that a £2 a day parking fee is unreasonable, but it is only possible to pay via a phone app or by credit card, no cash allowed. Recently many of us, including myself, were sent parking fee demands when attending the station open day on September 24. We could not access their app, and the only pay machine was out of action, for which there is photographic evidence

‘Despite explaining this to the company concerned they have not backed down and are charging £50 to £100. People have also been sent demands when they are dropping off passengers.’

See letters page 6