THE letter from Anthony Mann headlined "Parking firms must be monitored" (May 30) was both well-written and informative. I have recently experienced a problem with NCP who cover the Bury Metro area.

I attended the town hall on Knowsley Street to pay a bill and left my vehicle unattended whilst I went into the town hall to get some change. Upon my return a warden was gleefully placing a ticket on my windscreen and informed me that I had been six minutes. I can only draw my own conclusions as to how he knew this!

I attempted to explain but the warden said that as the ticket had been issued there was no way he could reverse his decision. However, he did tell me to contact NCP to appeal. I sent a polite letter to the office in Bury explaining what had happened and hoped that common sense would prevail. However, they replied saying that I had to pay the fine. I feel particularly aggrieved that the machines have no change facility.

How much does NCP make from people putting a £1 coin in the machine for a 40p ticket because they are afraid that whilst they are getting the correct change a warden will come along and issue a fixed penalty notice? I imagine that it runs into hundreds of pounds every week.

PARKING VICTIM