THE South West Lakes Trust have responded following a number of complaints about their new parking system at a popular countryside destination.  

In recent weeks, several local residents and visitors have expressed their frustration with the newly installed ANPR camera systems being used in Roadford Lake’s car park.

Many have suggested the implementation of this new system has pushed them to go elsewhere following faults. 

However, South West Lakes Trust have defended the decision to introduce this new system.  

A spokesperson for the charity said: “Car parking is a really important source of fundraising for our charity, accounting for around 6.5 per cent of our income. Parking at Roadford Lake costs £2.50 for two hours and £5 for the whole day.  

“All income from our car parks contributes to the upkeep and enhancement of the lakes for our visitors and wildlife – from conserving important habitats to maintaining your favourite walks. 

“Most people who use our car parks do pay, but non-payment is an issue at some of our lakes. 

“For this reason, we installed automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology as a trial at Argal in December 2022. The trial was a success and as a result we installed ANPR at Roadford Lake in May 2024. This new system is an upgrade on the Pay & Display machines that have been in service in the Roadford car park for nearing 25 years and the charges have not been changed. 

“As well as encouraging visitors to pay for parking, we hope that the ANPR technology will help deter fly tipping and other forms of anti-social behaviour. It will also free up staff to spend more time caring for the lake.  

“We offer several payment options onsite, which include the RingGo app, contactless and coin.  

“We initially experienced an administrative issue, resulting in some of our members and friends incurring a PCN notice in error. We have been working with those affected to ensure that these issues are resolved as soon as possible. If any of our members or friends have any concerns, they can contact us on [email protected].”