Skegness man vows to escalate Booths car park fine protest

A customer who moved the entire contents of his living room 240 miles to a supermarket car park in a row over an unpaid fine says he is prepared to escalate his protest.

Michael Moody, from Skegness, was fined after he overstayed by 41 minutes in the car park of the Booths shop in Windermere, in the Lake District, after stopping for a coffee in February 2023.

The 47-year-old says he knew nothing of the issue until his bank told him last month that he had a county court judgement (CCJ) against his name.

After failing in his attempts to resolve the matter, Mr Moody staged an eye-catching protest by occupying the Booths car park with his living room furniture, ornaments - and even his dog.

And he says he is prepared to step up his demonstrations unless the fine is overturned.

He said: "If I'm stuck with it then I'll go back, and I'll make more effort and I'll make sure it's worth people looking at. So I'll have a bigger living room and maybe a dining room as well."

Mr Moody said the CCJ had affected his credit rating, to such an extend that he cannot access new mortgage deals, costing him of hundreds of pounds extra a month.

A recent credit check found his score was 494, which is classed as 'very poor' according to a credit checking company.

A long-time market trader, he recently sold his business in the hope he could get a loan and renovate his home.

He said: "It seems very unjust that I can't move forward with my financial future and everything I've worked all my life for is held back because of spending too long in a car park."

He said: "I've approached this in my usual subtle manner - but I can promise you I really wish I wasn't doing this."

He said he had tried to contact Booths for help to have the CCJ removed and to pay the parking fine but has received no support.

Along with the contents of his living room, he erected a sign in the Booths car park which read: "Never shop at Booths. We had coffee and cake at Booths and now we can not get a mortgage."

The supermarket chain said he was correctly issued a parking charge and that Parking Eye, which manages the car park, had offered him guidance.

A Booths spokesperson said: "Booths are unable to intervene in this matter as the case has been escalated to debt recovery."

A Parkingeye spokesperson added: "The motorist first got in touch with us on 14 November this year to settle the payment and request that we remove the county court judgement.

"This would need to be done directly with himself and the county court."

Mr Moody said he may not have received the fine as he had changed his car and was in the process of changing address when it was issued.

He said: "I have got myself into this mess. It's my fault. I'm disorganised, I'm dyslexic, my dogs aren't very fond of postmen, so it's my fault.

"Does this mean I shouldn't have an opportunity to make it right?

"I would happily take everyone at Booths out for dinner if they would just help me with the phone call and hopefully a way to pay whatever I need to to help me remove a CCJ."

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