A GOBSMACKED businessman was slapped with a £100 parking fine at McDonald's as he waited for his electric car to charge.
Amar Tanna, 36, was dealt the ticket despite shelling out for a meal and £35 on electricity at the chain's charging point in Hinckley, Leicestershire.
The motorist said he had driven to the Wheatfield Way Maccy's for a snack when he got the unappetising fine.
But when he arrived the branch's car recharging station was in use so Amar chowed down on some grub.
He later plugged in his vehicle for some juice before heading home after a long day working in Coventry.
He told Leicestershire Live: "The rate they were charging was extortionate as it was - twice the cost of electricity I'd paid before while charging my car.
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"But I needed to charge it up or I wouldn't be able to get home."
But days later he got the shock of his life when he got hit with a fine.
He contacted the electricity charging providers, InstaVolt, to immediately look into the issue asking how he had been fined for being in the car park when he was paying for electricity the whole time he was there.
Customer services executive at Katherine Binks wrote back explaining the parking restrictions were in fact managed by a separate company, Civil Enforcement Ltd.
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This unfortunately meant the existing parking restrictions still applied to Amar even when using the charging stations.
This rule was also made clear on signs in the car park which offers a maximum of 90-minutes of free parking for each vehicle.
InstaVolt did however provide Amar with a 'Proof of Charge' letter to appeal the fine - he did contest it - but was unsuccessful.
Amar noted how he also wrote to McDonald's but they cannot help as the parking enforcement company are a separate entity.
Though Amar admits he is not confident he will get a response.
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He said: "The parking company are the usual kind of business - hard to get hold of with a one-page website."
The Sun Online have approached McDonald's and Civil Enforcement Ltd for comment.
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