Eat Your Pizza Quick Or Get a Ticket!

This story has just come to our attention and I have to say how ridiculous this is. We all know that when eating at Pizza Hut it can sometimes take 45 minutes just for the starters to arrive! Only Joking!

"Shoppers are boycotting a major retail park after a new parking enforcement scheme was put into place - which has left some angry motorists with £150 fines.

A new 90-minute parking limit has been enforced at the Interchange Retail Park in Copdock, near Ipswich.

Earlier this month, the EADT reported how Alan Fordham's trip to choose his daughter's laptop turned into a much more expensive outing after he stayed too long in the car park, unaware of the new scheme.

Now, more angry customers have complained they have been caught out by the new limit, which is indicated by yellow signs at the entrance to the site, with more recently being added around the car park.

Diners at the Pizza Hut restaurant on the retail park have argued the limit does not offer enough time to enjoy a meal with friends.

The restaurant said it was not consulted about the new limits and is backing customers' efforts to have them overturned.

Shoppers at the PC World and Currys stores have also told the EADT they feel now rushed into deciding on expensive equipment.

Diane Peake, 32, from Ipswich, was one of four friends who dined at Pizza Hut recently who has been given notification of a £75 fine, rising to £150, through her door from Civil Enforcement Ltd.

“It is just ridiculous. I would not go back there again because we would just be permanently watching the clock,” she said.

“At Pizza Hut the girl was happy to serve us for two hours but did not say anything so I think they let us down as well.

“I just do not want other people to go out for what they think is going to be a cheap lunch and then get stung with a big fine. We did not even realise we had got one until a week later.”

She said she had not seen any signs on the Pizza Hut building.

Colin Howard, 81, from Harkstead, said he and his wife had paid the fine as a goodwill gesture but had written to the company to ask them to reconsider.

Mr Howard, who uses a walking stick, said: “Ninety minutes is just quite unreasonable for people like ourselves and it is a job to find and speak to the staff about your problems within that time.”

He added with the possibility of a second fine being in the post for using the park twice recently, he would “not be inclined” to return there.

A spokesman for Pizza Hut told the EADT: “We understand our customers' concerns about the time restrictions that have been recently been introduced at The Interchange Retail Park.

“As a family dine-in restaurant, we would not want our customers to feel hurried while eating their meal.

“As these restrictions were introduced without our knowledge or consent, we are currently in negotiations with the owners of the retail park and hope to resolve this issue quickly.”

A spokesperson from the DSGi group, which represents Currys and PC World, said: “We're monitoring the situation closely and we'd encourage our customers to make us aware of any concerns they have.”

Civil Enforcement, which issues the fines, were unavailable to respond on the issue last night

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