Man Shocked by Unexpected Discovery During McDonald’s Coffee Stop

Business Owner Challenges Seven‑Hour Parking Fine After Brief Coffee Stop

A Liverpool shopkeeper is disputing a penalty charge that claims he left his van in a McDonald’s car park for seven hours—despite evidence he stayed barely half an hour.

Vinny Brownell, who owns Allerton Furniture Centre on Admiral Street, says he stops at the McDonald’s on Aigburth Road most weekdays for a quick coffee before opening his store at 9:30 a.m. Last October, however, UK Parking Control (UKPC) sent him a notice alleging his vehicle remained in one of the restaurant’s 41 spaces from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.—well beyond the 90‑minute limit.

“I wish I had that much time to spare,” Mr Brownell told a news outlet. “I’m in and out within 30 minutes. Why should I pay for something that never happened?”

After phone calls to UKPC proved fruitless, the 42‑year furniture‑trade veteran sought help from the McDonald’s staff who know him as a regular. Shift manager Kate Boyle provided a written statement confirming that Mr Brownell never stays more than half an hour.

UKPC’s allegation has now escalated to the threat of court action, which Mr Brownell calls “despicable.” It is not his first run‑in with an erroneous parking charge at the same site—he successfully appealed a previous ticket.

'W News - Liverpool'  asked UK Parking Control for comment, but the company had not responded by the time of publication.