Worries Ludlow Tesco parking fees could catch out shoppers

Fears have arisen that shoppers in Ludlow could be caught out after a town supermarket re-introduced charges after almost a year of free parking.

Shoppers at the Tesco store in Station Road claim the store re-introduced parking charges on Monday with no prior notice and no obvious signs pointing out the change.

Parking meters on the car park had been out of action since March 2010 and people were able to park free for two hours for free.

But bosses at Tesco today confirmed that the meters were now back up and running.

Shopper Chris Chillingworth, from Middleton near Ludlow, said he could have been penalised after parking without a ticket earlier this week as he had not realised the charges had been re-introduced.

"The first I knew of it was when I was at the till and the lady asked me if I had a car park voucher. She told me the meters had been re-introduced," he added.

Rory Stoves, a PR executive for Tesco, said: "The old meters had been bagged up and had signs on them saying they were not working.

"Those signs were taken down and the bags removed. The parking meters came back on line on Monday."

Shoppers pay 50p to park for a maximum two hour stay, which they can redeem at the till if they spent more than £5 in the store."

Councillor Rosanna Taylor-Smith, for Ludlow North, said it was not a council car park but privately run.