A COACH company boss says he won’t be bringing any more customers on shopping trips to Colchester after being fined on a parking ticket technicality.

Stuart Rogers, of Thompson Coaches, based in Framlingham, Suffolk, said a warden slapped a £25 fine notice on one of his coaches while it was legally parked in the Sheepen Road coach and lorry park.

The fine has angered him so much he says in future, his company will shun Colchester in favour of towns where coaches can park free.

Mr Rogers said his driver bought a £5.50 ticket to park the coach after disembarking 40 people for a shopping trip on Wednesday.

He added: “We brought passengers to Colchester to shop for the day. We paid the fee, but it’s not the type of ticket you can stick on a windscreen, so the driver put it on the dashboard. It must have blown over when he got out.

“The parking attendant even wrote down the serial number on the back of the ticket.”

Mr Rogers has now paid the fine. He explained: “I phoned the borough council and it said I could write to object, but I think I’d be wasting my time.

“My point is I won’t bring a coach party shopping to Colchester any more. I’ll go to Bury St Edmunds or Ipswich, where we get free parking. I’ll also be writing to the industry magazine, RouteOne, to tell other operators Colchester doesn’t welcome coaches. What the council is doing is taking money away from local businesses.”

Michelle Reynold, chairman of Colchester Retail Business Association, said local traders welcomed coach parties – and appealed from Mr Rogers to change his mind.

She said: “We should be encouraging coach companies to come. It is unfortunate he has been given a ticket and I would appeal to him to bring people back to the town again.”

A spokesman for Colchester Council's parking department said: “The right to appeal a parking notice is open to all, and the reverse of the penalty charge notice clearly explains to motorists a challenge must be made within 14 days.

“Colchester Council has informed Mr Rogers of this fact, and advised him to submit the valid parking ticket to the council so the parking notice can be revoked.”