Cancer-stricken Only Fools and Horses star reveals he’s been slapped with £2,800 bill for parking at McDonald’s
A CANCER-stricken Only Fools and Horses star has revealed he’s been slapped with a whopping £2,800 bill for parking at McDonald’s.
Funnyman Patrick Murray, who plays Mickey Pearce in the cult BBC comedy, said he was hit with the ticket after picking up his dinner.
The massive fine comes at an already tough time for the star, who revealed his cancer had returned last year.
Patrick, 66, previously told how he’d beaten lung cancer, but shared the heartbreaking news it had returned last April.
Now, he’s being forced to cough up £2,800 for a five-year-old ticket – and says he feels for others who might get hit with similar bills amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The 66-year-old explained the initial ticket was less than £100, but had grown massively over the years.
Patrick said he was fined after parking in a disabled spot – which he claims a member of staff told him to do while waiting for his food.
The 66-year-old explained the situation on Twitter/X, writing: “Five years ago I received a private parking ticket for parking on a disabled spot at McDonald’s.
“I went back and saw the manager complaining that I was asked by the server to park up there to await my food.
“The initial ticket was less than £100. Now I am getting countless letters from a company demanding I pay £2,800 in or face having my personal goods removed.
“There was no court order to say I owed this debt.
“Suddenly getting a demand for £3000 could be devastating for many people. Who knows some may have been driven to suicide with worry.”
The cost-of-living crisis has been plaguing Brits for months, with the masses hanging out for any extra payments they can get their hands on.
However, it was today revealed the UK economy returned to growth and performed better than expected.
A healthy economy is one where GDP is growing but if it stalls or is falling, it’s bad news for businesses and consumers.
It’s understood McDonald’s is not aware of the case.
However, customers with any concerns should get in touch with their Customer Services Team.
Last year the Only Fools and Horses star said how cancer has now spread to his pelvis and legs.
He said: “Despite all the wonderful efforts by the medical and nursing teams at Medway, Guys, and Kings College hospitals, the lung cancer has returned.
“I thought I had a painful groin strain a couple of months ago, unfortunately that turned out to be the cancer getting into my pelvis and leg bones. It has also entered my lymphatic system.
“What about the good news? I had radiology treatment last week and my oncologist is fairly confident this will stop the leg pain, and I will be up and about again.
“Another positive is my consultant. He is confident that the chemo will keep things in check for months and even years.”
In January last year Patrick revealed he’d had half of his liver removed after doctors discovered a second cancer in 2022.
Speaking to The Sun at the time, Patrick said he was “over the moon” to be cancer-free.
Doctors discovered a tumour in his lung in July 2021.
How to fight a parking fine
Up to 50,000 drivers are slapped with parking fines every day in the UK, raking in more than £2.6billion a year for car park operators and councils.
Consumer rights campaigner Scott Dixon says you should always appeal if you get a ticket from either a private parking operator or the council.
Two in five penalty notices are scrapped after being appealed, figures show.
But before you can appeal, you need to work out what type of charge you have received.
Parking charge notices are issued by private parking operators such as National Car Parks, Euro Car Parks, Apcoa Parking and Parkingeye.
Penalty charge notices and excess charge notices are issued by the council. Fixed penalty notices come from the police.
When it comes to private companies, it can be a different story.
First you should check if the firm is a member of the British Parking Association (BPA) or International Parking Community (IPC).
If they’re not, Citizens Advice recommends that you don’t contact them unless they write to you first.
Often these firms don’t have access to your records from the DVLA and won’t be able to find you.
But if they do write to you, you should reply.
Companies must send notices within 14 days of when you were parked on the private land, if a notice wasn’t left on your windscreen.
First, complain through the company that issued the ticket — many have a formal process.
You can get contact details for members of the BPA at britishparking.co.uk and the IPC at theipc.info.
Gather evidence to show why you think the ticket was unfair such as photographs of unclear signs and road markings or a bank statement to show a charge has been paid.
If the complaint is rejected, your next step is to appeal.
Appeals should be made to Parking On Private Land Appeals if the operator is a BPA member.
You have 28 days after the rejection of the initial complaint to appeal to Popla.
If they are an IPC member, appeal to the Independent Appeals Service — you have 21 days to do so.
And if your appeal is rejected, Scott suggests appealing again.
“You’re virtually always rejected at the first stage on private parking tickets. But on the second stage, Popla finds two in five tickets unfair and cancels them.”
Appealing a penalty charge notice issued by the local council for parking without a permit is relatively straightforward.
Again, include evidence to back up your case and submit it to the relevant council through its complaint process.
If you are unsuccessful, you can challenge the decision at a free independent tribunal.
You can appeal online at the trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk. Or if you’re in London, go through londontribunals.gov.uk.
If you want to object to a police notice, you will need to send your letter to the Central Ticket Office nearest to where the charge was issued.