Shakespeare Expert's Bizarre Parking Fine for Alleged Violation 50 Miles Away
A distinguished Shakespearean scholar found himself embroiled in a perplexing parking dispute after receiving a £100 fine for an alleged violation in a town he had never visited, despite being documented 50 miles away at a celebratory event.
Celebratory Event in Stratford-upon-Avon
Nicholas Fogg, an 82-year-old retired literary expert and former Marlborough College master, hosted a birthday lunch for William Shakespeare in April last year. The event took place in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, the hometown he shares with The Bard. Mr Fogg, serving as president of the Bran and Chaff Shakespeare Club, mingled with old friends and Stratford luminaries, including Shakespearean actor Jonathan Slinger.
His presence was thoroughly documented through photographs published in the local newspaper and a clear paper trail, placing him unequivocally in Stratford that spring afternoon. "My tracks were pretty well covered. I certainly wasn't in Northampton. I have never been to Northampton," Mr Fogg insisted to the Daily Mail.
Mysterious Fine from Northampton
Just ten days after the Stratford event, Mr Fogg received a letter from National Car Parks (NCP), the UK's largest parking provider, slapping him with a £100 Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). The correspondence claimed he had left his Renault Megane Scenic in a prohibited staff bay at St Peter's Way car park in Northampton—an hour's drive from Stratford.
"I have never heard of this car park or been anywhere near it in my life," Mr Fogg stated. The bizarre aspect was that the photographic evidence showed his car, but not parked in Northampton. "It is my car shown but it doesn't show it stopped in a definite parking place. It couldn't have been in Northampton, it is just in the wrong place. That is the bizarre bit of it," he explained.
Months of Frustration and Administrative Errors
Mr Fogg spent months attempting to resolve the issue, describing the process as "a complete pain" and "quite time consuming." He detailed how NCP's system appeared automated and unresponsive: "You reply and they completely ignore any reply you have made. I imagine it is computer driven, this series of escalating letters ending in being taken to court."
The situation escalated to the point where a hearing at Swindon Crown Court was booked for April 2, referred to the Small Claims Division. "You just get into an inexorable process in which whatever you say is ignored and you get the next stage of the computer process," Mr Fogg lamented.
NCP Admits Administrative Mistake
After investigation, NCP admitted the fine resulted from an "admin mistake." A spokesperson explained: "Although the PCN was correctly issued for parking in a staff bay which was clearly signed, the PCN was manually issued, and our team selected the wrong location by mistake. The customer was parked in Rother Street in Stratford, but the PCN referred to St Peter's Way in Northampton."
The company cancelled the parking charge immediately and apologised for the location error, describing such mix-ups as "very rare occurrences." However, Mr Fogg noted that not every victim of similar mistakes has been so fortunate.
Broader Context of Parking Fine Issues
This incident occurred against a backdrop of widespread concerns about private parking practices. Just days before Mr Fogg's alleged violation, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander accused parking firms of "trapping" motorists with faulty machines, calling it "a problem that needs to be tackled."
Campaigner Lynda Eagan highlighted issues with "sticky keys" on parking machines that don't respond properly or encourage premature payment. Government data from last November revealed UK drivers receive over 41,000 PCNs daily.
A Conservative Government code of conduct proposed in 2022 aimed to implement fairer appeals processes, halve ticket caps to £50 for most offences, and remove aggressive language from fines. However, this code was scrapped following legal challenges by parking companies.
Distinguished Career and Personal Impact
Mr Fogg, who has published several books about Shakespeare and Stratford, served as a schoolmaster at Marlborough College—where Prince George will enroll later this year—and has been elected mayor of Marlborough. Despite his advanced age, he remains active and described the fine ordeal as "a huge worry and a nuisance to put it mildly."
Reflecting on the experience, he observed: "You can only cough up, that is all you can do. And you end up wishing you had coughed up, because it's so much hassle." His case serves as a cautionary tale about administrative errors in parking enforcement systems and the significant personal burden they can impose.
