A Selby couple have won a legal battle over a £100 parking penalty after “two years of hell”.

Deb and Les Heron were landed with the charge at a car park before flying to Benidorm from Leeds Bradford Airport for a holiday.

They pre-paid £38 for long stay parking at a nearby airport site operated by Vehicle Control Services (VCS) Ltd.

But when they arrived early in the morning on Friday, July 22, 2022, the number plate recognition system did not recognise their car, meaning the barrier did not open to let them into the car park.

Mr Heron, 63, reversed his car away from the barrier and stopped so Mrs Heron, 56, could find out what the problem was.

She said she was told the barrier was not working and if they drove back to the barrier it would be raised manually for them.

But, because their car was stopped for several minutes, VCS Ltd imposed a stopping penalty of £100.

A spokesperson for the Sheffield-based company said Mr Heron stopped his car on a roundabout where a passenger got out and the firm “do not consider that this was a safe or appropriate location in which to stop his vehicle”.

But the couple said they “did not cause any obstruction and only stopped because they could not get into the carpark they had paid for”.

The case later went to court where James Wilson, a law lecturer and friend of the couple who represented them in court for free, said VCS Ltd sued Mr and Mrs Heron for £282 in a claim at Leeds County Court.

At a trial in May 2023, a judge decided that the company was entitled to impose the £100 penalty for stopping.

But at an appeal on November 4, 2023, Mr Wilson said another judge decided VCS Ltd had no right to impose the £100 penalty because of where Mr and Mrs Heron stopped their car.

The judge dismissed the claim and ordered the company to pay Mr and Mrs Heron £682.70 in costs and damages.

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Mrs Heron, who works in the security industry, said: “What has happened is appalling. VCS Ltd were completely unreasonable in pursuing us.”

She added: “Our enjoyable five-day holiday from Leeds Bradford airport was turned into two years of hell worrying about having to pay their legal costs.

“Even after my husband had a serious stroke, VCS Ltd continued to fight the case rather than back down.”

A VCS Ltd spokesperson said: “Vehicle Control Services Limited provides a health, safety and security service on the Leeds Bradford Airport roadways.

“Airport roadways, by their very nature, are high risk areas; given the sensitive security concerns it is not unusual to prohibit stopping on roadways within the airport.

“In this particular case, Mr Heron stopped his vehicle on a roundabout, where a passenger alighted the vehicle. We do not consider that this was a safe or appropriate location in which to stop his vehicle.

“The district judge had originally found in our favour with a well-articulated written judgment.

“Mr Heron later went on to appeal against the original judgment for which judges have independent opinions.

“Whilst we are surprised by the appeal hearing outcome, we will of course abide by the judgment.”