CONTROVERSIAL parking fines at a popular Herefordshire beauty spot will be slashed under new legislation.

The cap on most private parking fines will be halved from £100 to £50 across the UK, the Government has announced.

Parking firms will be forced to put up clearer signage and offer a 14-day grace period during which fines are halved, among other measures.

Parking fines at Queenswood Country Park and Arboretum have left many visitors angry and out of pocket over the years.

Visitors have complained of an "overaggressive and unfair" system after finding themselves facing £60 penalty charges for being minutes past their allotted time.

One visitor, Zeke Wade, said he stopped at Queenswood last year for a less than a minute, leaving almost immediately after realising he was late for an appointment, but to his dismay the system still charged him.

"I was in the car park for less than a minute which is why I didn't purchase a ticket," he said.

"I am 100 per cent certain about this and I would be willing to say so under oath in court."

Mr Wade said Corporate Services, the company responsible for the car park at the time, claimed he had been on-site for an hour and 29 minutes.

Mr Wade claims this was not the case and disputed the parking ticket.

Queenswood Country Park has since changed to a new parking system with national firm Park With Ease.

The previous parking system used on the site was an automatic number plate recognition which was introduced in 2018.

Now a ‘pay on exit’ system is in place - people only need to go to the machines to pay when they are ready to leave.

Visitors can also pay online through the Park With Ease website for up to 48 hours after their visit.

Signs in the car park say parking fines will be issued to anyone who do not pay for a parking ticket.