A BOURNEMOUTH shopping centre has apologised after many of its customers were handed incorrect parking tickets.

Castlepoint is currently transitioning to a new car park management company.

Shoppers can stay at the car park for four hours with a grace period of 30 minutes.

However, now the grace period has been redacted.

One person contacted the Daily Echo about the issue said: “Please be aware, that anyone who has stopped to use any of the ATMs at Castlepoint between the hours of 12am and 6.30am may already have, or will be receiving a fine from UK Parking Control.

“A glitch on the UKPC system has reversed the 30-minute grace period that had previously been provided, and many motorists are being sent parking  charge notices dating back to the beginning of the year for driving on-site between those hours.”

David Pickett, centre manager at Castlepoint, said: "We understand penalty charge notices (PCNs) have been issued inadvertently to users of the Castlepoint car park over recent days.

“This stems from an issue during the transfer of responsibility from UKPC to new car park operators and the associated switchover of their systems.

“We have raised this with UKPC to seek to contact those affected and void the PCNs in question with immediate effect.

“All those who have contacted us, or UKPC direct, have already had their PCNs voided.

“This is an isolated incident that is being remedied as swiftly as possible and we apologise to all the customers affected."

In a post warning customers on social media, Castlepoint said: “We want to inform you that we are currently transitioning to a new car parking management company.

“During this change, the usual four-hour parking limit will not be enforced.

“We'll keep you updated and let you know as soon as the new system is in place and the four-hour rule is back operating as before.

“Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Keep an eye on our social media channels or website for further updates.”