A NEW parking system at a supermarket has seen those who fail to scan a receipt when leaving the store slapped with a £90 fine.

Lidl in Witney has come under fire from some in the community after introducing the new enforcement regime, designed to stop people who are not shopping there from using the car park.

Newly-installed cameras identify vehicle registration plates of vehicles when they enter the car park.

Shoppers then have to scan their receipt and enter their registration number in a machine in store before leaving the car park, or face being automatically issued with a fine through the post.

But some critics say it will be unnecessarily tough on older residents, who may struggle to use the technology, and could lead to cars clogging up other roads in the town.

Town councillor, Alan Beames, said: “Sadly, for those who are elderly or not tech savvy, this means an automatic fine, potential legal action and being chased by debt collectors.

“This is an appalling way to treat customers.

"Numerous customers on a recent Saturday morning vented their anger at frustrated staff who were informing them of Lidl’s new customer relations policy.

“Concern is now mounting that customers will avoid using Lidl or park along Ducklington Lane because it has no parking restrictions – thus causing congestion along a busy road.”

Several people contacted the Witney Gazette on social media to express frustration at the new system.

Frances Dewar said: “It’s not very community minded.

"I won’t be shopping there.”

James Oakey, manager of Home Computer Support Witney, added: “I won’t be shopping there.

"I would only go in there and look for alternatives to M&S or Waitrose – not 100 per cent sure I would buy anything – so certainly won’t be going to look now.

“This is shocking behaviour from a retail establishment.”

Others took the view that, as Lidl is a private business, it has every right to enforce parking penalties on its own land.

Kim Cox, of Witney, said: “I don’t see a problem. It’s not a public car park.”

Barry Hazell, also of Witney, added: “This is no problem. The car park is for Lidl customers after all.

“The only problem is if you go in there for a single item that is out of stock."

Some others said they did not take issue with the new system but did express concerns that it was not signposted clearly enough.

Lidl spokesman, Oliver Thomas, said: "Whilst we have different systems in place to manage the availability of car parking spaces at our stores, the purpose is always to prevent misuse and to ensure that customers take priority.

"The in-store validation system is now in common use across different sectors including multi-storey car parks, airports, hotels, train stations, leisure facilities, allowing genuine customers to validate their parking.

"There are a number of highly visible sign posts located in and around the store premises, which are effective in informing customers of the restrictions and validation process in place.

"In the event that a genuine Lidl customer receives a parking charge notice incorrectly, they should simply provide proof of purchase by following the appeals process provided with the notice.

"We also encourage customers to get in touch with us directly via our customer service hotline number, should they require any assistance. In addition, our customer service team will always look to find a longer term solution for customers who have special requirements and may have difficulty with the parking restrictions in place."