'We were fined £100 for eating an ice cream in our car - they can get stuffed'

'We were fined £100 for eating an ice cream in our car - they can get stuffed' Colin Beck, 73, and his wife were hit with a £100 parking charge after stopping in the New Forest for an ice cream — but the Hampshire couple are now fighting the penalty A pensioner has hit out at a £100 parking penalty after he claims he was fined for stopping at a New Forest car park to eat an ice cream. Colin Beck, 73, had been visiting the area near Fordingbridge, Hampshire, with his wife when they pulled into the Godshill Cricket forestry car park. The couple bought two Mr Whippys from a nearby ice cream van before sitting in their car to eat them. But they were later shocked to receive a £100 parking charge, despite Colin claiming the vendor had told them they had 15 minutes before they needed to pay. Colin said they were back on the road within 10 minutes, but a Forestry England warden had already recorded their number plate. The 73-year-old has refused to pay the charge and is now challenging it, reports the Liverpool Echo. He told the Daily Echo: "They can get stuffed," Colin told the Daily Echo. "That's the principle, really, isn't it? The ice cream man says he's there all the time and he says you can park there to eat your ice cream, but what are you expected to do?". "Buy an ice cream and then drive along the road eating it which is dangerous?". The dispute comes after Forestry England introduced charges at car parks across the New Forest earlier this year. Since April 20, motorists have had to pay to use all 129 of the organisation's previously free car parks. The charges apply to every type of vehicle, including motorbikes and vehicles displaying blue badges. Visitors are charged £1.50 for an hour, £3 for two hours, £5 for four hours and £8 if they stay for more than four hours. Colin, who says he has been visiting the New Forest for "donkey's years", believes the new system could have a wider impact on the popular beauty spot. "It's another way of screwing the motorists," he said. "It must have cost them a fortune to put in all the notices, the ones that do have car park machines, all that sort of stuff. "It's just crazy." He also fears the new fees could hit local businesses, particularly ice cream sellers who rely on visitors stopping at the area's beauty spots. "The New Forest is meant to be a free place, and I feel sorry for the guys that have got the ice cream businesses, because it must have hit them really hard." Forestry England said motorists were generally allowed 15 minutes before they were required to pay, while parking rangers monitored the car parks. A spokesperson said it was not for the organisation to dictate how drivers spent those 15 minutes, adding that signs at every site explained the terms and highlighted the option to pay later. They said the system was designed to give motorists enough time to make use of the "pay later" option before a parking charge notice was issued. But Colin remains unconvinced and believes the policy should be reconsidered. "They've got to rethink their policy," he said. "I mean, it's my word against the guy in the van." He described the £100 penalty as "a bit heavy handed" and said he had only intended to make a quick stop for an ice cream. The case is the latest in a series of complaints from motorists who claim they have been caught unaware by newly introduced parking restrictions at popular visitor destinations. In North Wales, eight motorcyclists from Devon reportedly faced a combined £960 in penalties after stopping at Llyn Tegid in Eryri National Park. New automatic number plate recognition cameras had been introduced at the site as part of the parking system. The bikers said they had not realised a new £1 charge for motorcycle parking was in place, adding that they would have paid had they known.