In reply to Nicola:
Another "non-payer" here
My car was parked in a permitted car park (it was dark and raining, signs weren't visible after dark)
4 days later the car had accumulated 4 tickets each demanding £80 (£60 for prompt payment)
This escalated to £180 (per ticket… yes that’s right £720 for 4 days parking lol) via a debt management company and a solicitors firm (all with the same address as the ticketing company)
That was 2009 they stopped writing to me
The thing about driver v registered keeper is relevant, but even if they do have proof, it's a contract law dispute. Any damages reclaimed can only be for lost income, now a days parking at the short stay car park at my local airport is £21.50, so £180 for a day is clearly punitive and would very likely be dismissed by the courts. be warned the letters do seem convincing and are very threatening, but they are totally toothless by all accounts.
thing is, if they'd just issued one ticket and made it £30 I’d probably have paid it, but because it was stupidly high I dug my heels in, it's ended up costing them money as a result
In Scotland (ha ha) it's illegal for private companies to clamp your car...