WORKINGTON'S MP is calling for the top boss at a car parking company to write-off dozens of parking charges believed to have been wrongly-issued.

Sue Hayman has been at the forefront of a campaign to hold HX Car Park Management to account with a group civil claim. It comes as 78 residents contacted her after they were fined for parking at Vulcan's Lane car park in Workington, despite paying for their tickets.

Mrs Hayman has teamed up with a local solicitor firm and is working with support from the Times & Star, which highlighted the problem for the first time a year ago.

Now the MP's solicitors Burnetts have written to HX's director Kenny Marland to ask for a meeting to find an informal settlement.

Mrs Hayman said: "Basically what we're saying is: 'We don't have to take you to court, be reasonable.' We know they've lost court cases, it's disappointing that I've had to resort to contacting them through a solicitor."

Previous attempts to meet fell through, with Mr Marland failing to show up or apologise for not attending the last scheduled meeting.

Motorists say that despite entering the correct number plate and paying at the Vulcan's Lane car park, they received fines saying the registration number entered was incorrect. But when contacted by journalists and Mrs Hayman, HX denied there was any problem with the machine and maintained the fines were issued correctly.

Mrs Hayman said: "I want HX to recognise that every time they've been taken to court by someone they've lost and they have to recognise they're in the wrong. People have paid for their tickets as they were supposed to do, why would they then enter a wrong registration number?

"I want HX to write-off the fines and refund those who have paid them even if they shouldn't have because they felt pressurised.

"I do hope they take the letter very seriously otherwise we'll have to take it further."

Mr Marland said: "At HX Car Park Management Ltd we pride ourselves on providing fair, ethical, and professional parking management services which work to the benefit of our clients and consumers alike.

"Keeping to the terms and conditions of parking is important to ensure the smooth-running of car parks and enforcement is therefore a necessary part of the process. We have been liaising with Sue Hayman MP and her solicitors in relation to some cases where drivers have suggested that there has been an issue with our payment machines at a particular location.

"We are confident that our machines are intuitive to users and have been operating properly; nevertheless, we will examine each and every case very carefully in conjunction with her solicitors to ensure this is the case and if any problems do come to light then we will, of course, do whatever is necessary to put things right."