A retired postman fined £100 in a car park has claimed cashless payment systems are putting off some shoppers who find them too complicated.

Anthony Meikle, who lives in Woodbridge with his wife Janice, went to Ipswich on Tuesday, August 11, to get his hearing aids fixed and parked at the open air NCP car park off Tacket Street.

Unfortunately Mr Meikle, who is in his late 70s, was unable to work out how to pay by card when he realised the machine wouldn’t take cash and was fined for parking without paying.

“I went to get my hearing aids repaired and arrived with cash in hand at the car park,” he explained. “However, I got to the machine and it said ‘no cash’ – the instructions were very vague and I did put my card in but nothing showed up.

“Then it was getting closer to my appointment time and there was no one around I could ask for help, usually there’s one or two people about.

“My appointment was five minutes away so at five-to I thought stuff it and I left the car there because I really couldn’t wait any longer.”

Many car park machines have gone cashless to stop the spread of Covid-19.

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When Mr Meikle returned from his appointment at the hearing centre he drove home, having left his car parked in the Tacket Street for half an hour.

On Saturday, August 29, he was informed that he faced a fine of £100, down to £60 if he paid within a set time period, due to parking without payment.

While he accepted he was eligible for the fine, Mr Meikle feels frustrated by the incident as it wouldn’t have happened if he had been able to pay with cash.

He added: “I just thought it was a bit unfair, I am not a youngster and I have a mobile phone but don’t fully understand it.

“If the machine had taken contactless I would have been fine but you were supposed to put your card number in before and I did it twice but nothing happened.

“In this age things are so complicated with apps for this and apps for that. Ipswich wants people to come back in and shop but this stuff puts people my age off.”

People have been left similarly frustrated by parking fines such as a grandfather from Wrentham who was fined for taking too long at a KFC carpark in Lowestoft while eating inside with his granddaughters.

Luckily, the £170 fine for staying over the hour time limit was overturned as a ‘good will’ gesture by the restaurant last year.

MORE: Grandfather wins £170 parking charge fight after treating granddaughters to KFC

NCP was contacted for comment.