BUSINESS park bosses have terminated a contract with a car parking firm accused of issuing 'extortionate' tickets.

Landlords Bizspace, which contracted car parking services to S&B Parking, on the Lomeshaye Business Village Estate, Nelson, in June, said they made the decision after tenants complained they were being hit with £90 fines even though they had permits.

Bizspace said Effective Car Parking Management, in Leeds, which has taken over the contract this month, planned to use an Automatic Number Plate Recog-nition system to address this problem.

However tickets will be sent in the post five days after the alleged infringement, Bizspace said.

Pendle Council leaders had accused S&B Parking of 'extorting' money from motorists after S&B set up 'spy' cameras to catch people parking on the land in August this year.

Ann-Marie Jeffrey, regional manager for Bizspace, said they were not happy with the service from S&B.

She said: "Tenants were being penalised because they were coming to work and being issued fines even though they had permits.

"The company is in the process of installing ANPR cameras so the tenants will be registered and number plates can be checked against the register.

"We brought in S&B Parking to alleviate parking problems on the estate.

"While this did help we realised the tenants were also being penalised. This will be a lot more effective."

The owner of a Giddy Kippers, located next to the 128 units on Bizspace land, Mark Nuttall, claimed his business had been badly affected by customers getting tickets.

He said: "We are happy they have gone but I am not holding my breath that the new company will be any better because a precedent has been set by S&B .

"There is no real control over them. They are unfair."

A businessman, who wishes to remain unnamed, said he still planned to challenge his fine after S&B Parking and their solicitors failed to deal with his appeal.

He visited Bizspace with a view to renting out a unit in July but changed his mind after the "hassle" he has had over the fine handed to him.

He said: "I am still waiting for answers from their solicitors.

"They provided evidence from an archive server, only they have access to, that they had responded to my email appeal but I have never received this email. I am prepared to fight it in court."

On September 6 we reported comments by Matthew Brough, the owner of S&B Parking who said he had been to county court and won 'three test cases' in a 'court battle' to try to enforce payment of his firm's 'fines'.

It is believed the judgements were issued without individuals involved being able to challenge them in court.

Neither S&B Parking nor those understood to be challenging the penalties would comment.