Fury as 'up to 50' drivers ticketed after leaving cars at Eastney to catch Hayling Ferry amid gridlock
Havant Road, the arterial route on to Hayling Island, was shut yesterday when a water main burst causing traffic chaos.
Emergency services struggled to access the island - with police ferrying water supplies to the elderly and vulnerable until the road reopened near 11pm.
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Hide AdHayling Ferry, which runs between Eastney and the island - saw hundreds more passengers yesterday.
But there was a sour aftertaste for up to 50 drivers who left their vehicles on the foreshore in Ferry Road as they were handed parking charge notices.
Sam Kiellor, 26, from West Town, on Hayling, left his van in Portsmouth and caught the ferry to pick up his four-year-old daughter Hollie from her childminder. His partner 22-year-old Vickii Gardiner was already stuck in traffic.
This morning Sam returned only to find he had been ticketed by Worthing-based One Parking Solution at 3am.
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Hide AdHe said: ‘I was ticketed at 3.06am which to me looks like they were made aware late of the vehicles and got there as quick as possible to try and make a quick buck off of stranded motorists like myself.
‘I was trying to get back quickly to get my daughter from our childminder, bearing in mind it took my partner over four hours from Havant slip road to get properly on to Hayling.’
The road was shut between Appletree Garage and Mill Close on Friday.
Hayling Ferry skipper Colin Hill said he took 739 fares yesterday - one of the ‘top 10 busiest days’ the service has had. On the parking charges he said: ‘It’s pretty unfair.’
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Hide AdAccountant Mandy Morris, 61, was commuting from Chichester to West Town on Friday. She left the insurer she works for at 4pm but traffic was so bad she diverted to Eastney, parked up and took the ferry home - arriving at 6.45pm.
Today she found she had been ticketed between 4.34am-4.50am. She said: ‘If we’ve got to pay it, I’ve got to pay it.
‘But I think it’s grossly unfair given the chaos that ensued.’
The parking firm has not yet responded to The News.