Watford residents feel stuck in limbo after being fined and told they had parked without permits that do not exist.

Mick Jowett, who lives in The Wight House, The Swallows, Scammel Way, was surprised to be issued with a penalty charge notice (PCN) from UK Car Parking Management Limited (CPM).

However Lettings Plus, which manages his building, says it stopped contracting CPM and no parking permit is required.

The Swallows includes the residential buildings Sark House, Skye House, and Jersey House as well as Wight House, Thanet House, Kintyre House, and Lewis House.

The first three are not managed by Lettings Plus and their car park contains signs warning that permits are needed. The rest, across the road, have a barrier to control entry instead.

Mr Jowett was given the PCN while parked within the barrier for his building’s car park on August 29, and was not the only motorist there to be ticketed, he told the Watford Observer.

Another resident claimed to have cleared up the issue with a CPM warden in person when he saw them within the barrier-controlled area at the end of August.

After what appeared to be a mix up over where they were, he was apparently told that wardens would not pass the barrier again. The notices have since stopped.

Watford Observer: The barrier at The Swallows.The barrier at The Swallows. (Image: Mick Jowett)

Despite this, Mr Jowett has been unable to stop the penalty process ramping up. He received a notice on Monday (October 9), dated to September 29, from Debt Recovery Plus demanding £170.

“It feels like bully-boy tactics,” Mr Jowett added. “People might hand money over to get them off their backs.”

When he contacted them, the debt company told him it does not manage the giving out of parking tickets and he would need to contact UK Car Park Management.

Watford Observer: The debt recovery letter.The debt recovery letter. (Image: Mick Jowett)

CPM has not answered Mr Jowett's enquiries and rejected his appeal.

However, it came back confirming “UK CPM are no longer managing the parking at this site” when he sent the permit department an email trying to apply for a permit to park at Wight House.

Lettings Plus says that "multiple team members" have contacted CPM asking them to stop giving out PCNs and void existing ones for its properties.

The Watford Observer has not received a response from UK Car Park Management or Debt Recovery Plus.