Okehampton station users have said that parking company APCOA has issued them with parking fines despite proof that the ticket machine was not working at the time.

Some residents have said that APCOA, which manages the parking fees at Okehampton station, has issued them with tickets for over £100 and has refused to invalidate the fine despite residents providing photographic proof that they were unable to pay the fee as the machine was out of order at the time.

Okehampton resident Trevor Munkenbeck said: ‘When I received this notification that I had got this fine, I panicked. It was £50 but I was told if I appealed it would go up to £100. Nobody minds paying if they can and I have now heard of over 25 people who have been threatened with bailiffs if they don’t pay.’

In response to these complaints, a spokesperson for APCOA said: ‘We are sorry to learn that some GWR customers have recently experienced difficulties at Okehampton Station. The cashless system operating at this station allows customers to pay by card at the pay machine or, in the event of the machine being temporarily out of order, customers can pay online or over the telephone using APCOA Connect.

‘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’.