A family-run business which was issued two £100 parking fines for overstaying the time limit at a McDonald's restaurant has successfully appealed the case.

On both occasions, which happened a year apart, an employee from the company ID Asbestos, based in Great Yarmouth, had gone into the fast food chain in Gillingham, left shortly after, and then returned to the restaurant for a second time a couple of hours later.

Private firm MET Parking Services, contracted by McDonald's to enforce time limits of customers in the car park, sent the company fines saying its vehicle had overstayed the free parking period and had been parked in the lot for over three hours.

However the company's vehicles are equipped with trackers which show when the car starts and stops, allowing the firm to appeal the parking claims.

Jessica Doolan, office manager for ID Asbestos, said: 'There must be others who are caught by this. We luckily have trackers on all of our vehicles, but anyone who doesn't have a tracker would be stuck having to pay.

'I was annoyed the first time, but by the second time I realised if we weren't able to prove this was wrong we would have had to pay an unfair charge.'

ID Asbestos received the first charge in September 2015 and the second charge nearly a year later on September 3, 2016.

Commenting on the case, a McDonald's spokesman said: 'At a number of our restaurants, parking restrictions are in place to ensure there is adequate parking for all customers. Where restrictions are in place, we work with industry-approved contractors to ensure any restrictions are clearly signposted and communicated.

'McDonald's does not profit from any penalty charges and if a customer feels they have been wrongly ticketed we would encourage them to get in touch with the third party contractor who issued the ticket.'

MET Parking, which regulates the car park in Beccles, maintained that drivers should provide evidence to counter a charge they think is unfair.

A spokesman said: 'If a motorist feels that they have been issued with a charge notice unfairly we recommend that they appeal the charge notice on receipt, providing as much information as possible to assist in the investigation of the appeal.'