A driver who stopped for a coffee at Costa in the Orbital shopping park was shocked when he was stung for £100 by a parking company that claimed his car had been there for seven hours.

But Lee Standen turned detective and trawled through his home CCTV to prove his car had been in his drive, forcing the firm to withdraw its demand.

Lee, who runs his own decorating company, said: “I never stay at the Asda car park for any longer than it takes to eat or to drink a coffee which is maximum an hour." Parking at the site is free for five hours.

He had parked on February 20, drunk his coffee and gone, thinking nothing of it until the letter from CP Plus dropped on the mat two weeks later.

“I looked at the date and went through my CCTV and I saw that I was parked in my drive.”

He sent an email to CP Plus with the evidence and the company withdrew its claim. “I wouldn’t recommend people park there. It just shows people can be stamped with a fine even if they’re completely innocent,” he told the Adver.

He isn't the first to find himself with an unexpected penalty for parking at the Orbital. In 2017 his employee Joe Spink had to go to the Ombudsman to stop parking Eye pursuing him for money and claiming he had overstayed.

“I parked at Asda on the way to work for petrol. After work I went back there. In the letter from Parking Eye it said I had kept my car there for nine hours and they were charging me money for it. I knew I hadn’t done that," he said.

“They said it was down to me to prove otherwise which I couldn’t do because I was at work where there’s no CCTV.”

He said he received several aggressive letters and then a letter saying the company was taking him to court. After he went to the Ombudsman that he was told he would not have to pay.

A spokesman for Asda said: “We are happy to hear that the fine has been rescinded by Parking Eye, who run our car parking system, but we would like to apologise to both Mr Spink and Mr Standen for any inconvenience.”

A Parking Eye spokesman said: “The motorist did not initially respond to the letters sent to him. It was then escalated upwards, and at this stage the motorist appealed. The case concluded in 2018 with the PCN being cancelled.”

CP Plus was approached for a comment.