A faulty ticket machine that has stopped drivers getting the free parking they are entitled to is being fixed.

The ticket machine at Moxon Street car park in High Barnet has been out of action for six weeks – meaning people have not been able to get a printout showing they have an hour of free parking.

High Barnet resident Dexter Hanoomansingh said people didn’t know whether they would be fined for parking without the ticket.

He said: “You’re allowed one free hour. You press the green button and it prints out a ticket, and you put it on your dashboard.

“If you can’t get your ticket from the machine, you leave yourself open to a penalty notice.

“You can only have a free hour with a pay and display stub.

“How come Barnet don’t want to fix it? You see people hanging around the machine because they don’t know what to do.”

Mr Hanoomansingh said the car park was very popular – particularly with local shoppers – because of parking restrictions on nearby streets.

He added that he had seen “a lot of penalty charge notices” when the machine first broke down, but traffic wardens now seemed to have stopped issuing them.

He said: “If I got a penalty notice, I would be fighting it

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“Now there don’t seem to be penalty notices, but everyone is confused. There is no appropriate signage.

“I’m pretty sure if you park for a whole day, you will not get a ticket.”

Mr Hanoomansingh added that he had tried to lodge a complaint but gave up after continually being transferred to different departments.

He said: “I have tried talking to people. They transfer you to another section. I have tried many times and it goes nowhere – just round and round.”

A Barnet Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the problem with the machine, which has been more difficult to resolve than normal. The supplier of the machine will be visiting it today (March 15) to repair the fault.

“Our Civil Enforcement Officers have been instructed to monitor any car without a ticket for the one-hour free parking period in the car park. They will only issue penalties where appropriate.

“If a motorist believes a penalty has been issued incorrectly, they should appeal it by contacting the council in the usual way.”

Parking penalties – also known as Parking Charge Notices (PCNs) – can be appealed at www.barnet.gov.uk or by writing to Barnet Parking Services, PO Box 197, Lowton Way, Hellaby, Sheffield, S98 1LW.