Further complaints have been made about a parking firm's alleged "bully boy, cash cow" tactics by visitors to a Suffolk seaside car park hit with a £100 fine for overstaying a ten-minute restriction.

Rayleigh couple Laurence and Susan Chester parked at the privately-run Easton Farm car park at Southwold over the Easter weekend in April, but had to queue to pay at the machine and had difficulties downloading an app as an alternative payment tool.

READ MORE: Family's Easter Southwold trip 'ruined' by £100 parking fine

The result was that they overstayed the 'grace period' by seven minutes, but two weeks later they were "dumbfounded" when they received a letter at their home advising them they needed to pay a £60 parking charge immediately or risk an increase to £100.

In April, the EADT reported how Debenham mum Amy Taylor's Easter weekend family visit to Southwold was 'ruined' by parking firm National Parking Management (NPM), which fined her after she could not get a ticket for more than 20 minutes because of queues for the machine.

Mr Chester said: "To say we were absolutely dumbfounded at being issued such a penalty notice is beyond words.

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"We were advised to pay the £60 penalty charge now, or it would increase to £100 if we went to appeal.

"Working as a nurse in the NHS, this is a fine I can ill afford to pay.  

"As we paid for five hours and only stayed for just under three hours, we wondered how can this be right? Then, we remembered the warning sign someone reported regarding the 15 minute 'grace period'.

"I have never knowingly broken the law in my entire life and don’t ever intend to start doing so either.

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"However, having reflected on the situation my wife and I think the request by One Parking Solutions (NPM's handling agents) is manifestly unfair."

He said the queue for the machine was 15 deep, while NPM's Poppay parking app took an hour and 45 minutes to download while they visited attractions, including the town's pier, because of a poor mobile phone signal.

"If we hadn't purchased a car parking ticket then we would totally accept being fined- no questions asked.

"But to be treated in this way, when we had every intention of buying a ticket, we find utterly disgraceful.

"It is simply morally wrong and unfair having to pay a fine when circumstances beyond our control stopped us from buying a ticket within the enforced stipulated time.

"One Parking Solutions should not be allowed to get away with bully boy, cash cow tactics. They need to be named and shamed," Mr Chester said.

NPM have been approached for comment.