Dorset residents face shock £100 fines from Waitrose – just for driving home
Residents of a Dorset town faced unexpected £100 fines for simply driving home after automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras in a supermarket car park flagged them as ‘overstayers’.
Properties that rely on access from the local Waitrose car park on Beaconsfield Road in Christchurch have fallen into the ticket trap.
His partner said one of the residents had received four such fines, which was “a bit shocking to say the least”.
The issue arose when Christchurch City Council bought the site and then leased it to Waitrose in 2025, which led to the installation of the new camera system.
Earlier, when the car park was a payment and display facility owned by the BCP Municipality, residents did not face such problems.
This caused widespread concern among homeowners.
“A few people have been fined on the street… obviously this is worrying and needs to be resolved,” one woman said.
“I know people affected have contacted Waitrose who have said they are looking into this matter.
“From what we understand, we have the right of way in the parking lot. If we can’t cross the street, we can’t get to our parking spaces.”
Deputy Mayor Maggie Fidler advised those affected to contact Waitrose directly.
He later explained at a council meeting that some Beaconsfield Road residents had a “historic easement” over the car park and that this was a matter for the company, not the council.
A Waitrose spokesman said: “We apologize to any neighbors who have experienced problems. The system run by Britannia should prevent this from happening.”
“We have been made aware of a small number of incidents where this has occurred and are working with Britannia to resolve them.
“If a neighbor gets a ticket for parking on their property, we ask that they notify us so we can cancel.”
