Worcester City Council car park machine fault sees man charged £200

Some people have been incorrectly charged hundreds of pounds - with Worcester City Council now admitting they were being charged for car park sessions they never used.

Initially, Worcester City Council believed the technical issue was caused by card payments being processed late.

Drivers have been told to contact their bank in the first instance - though some have said they are reporting it as fraud.

It is not the first time there have been problems with the council's car park payment machines as we revealed a similar issue in September last year. 

Rod Barlow, a sales and business development manager, thought his bank account had been hacked after he noticed money "dripping out of his account".

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Mr Barlow frequently uses Newport Street car park on Saturday afternoons to pick his wife up from work. 

He said between £180 and £200 has been taken out of his account after 33 transactions have been made since Tuesday (September 27).

He said: "I realised I had gone into my overdraft and I knew that didn't sound right.

"I have never parked in St Martins Gate, but the tickets are addressed to that car park. 

"My first reaction was I thought I was being scammed. 

READ MORE: Worcester City Council reveal what to do if charged from a city car park

"I contacted my bank immediately. 

"They told me they can't stop the money from going out because the money is being taken out from a pre-set date.

"It is frustrating when you see money dripping out of your account. 

"Nobody is going to park in the same car park nine times a day. 

ERROR: Worcester City Council has suspended card payments at its car parks (Image: ERROR: Worcester City Council has suspended card payments at its car parks)

"I'm physically seeing money going out of my account and it's just the fact that it's multiple transactions every day."

Mr Barlow said he has sent over all the relevant information to the council to ensure he has a refund, but he has not heard anything back. 

A spokesperson from Worcester City Council said: "We have been assured that no further duplicate payments are being processed.

"We are working closely with the card payment processor and card machine operator, to get to the bottom of this issue.

"Whilst the cause of the problem is not yet clear, the council would like to assure customers that all incorrect payments will be refunded as soon as we are able."