A Thanet litter pick volunteer has been slapped with a £100 fine for being parked at the Cliftonville Lido while clearing up the rubbish strewn across the car park.
Geoff Hickie, from Ramsgate, is a prolific litter picker, giving thousands of hours of unpaid service to the community.
He says he had parked his Renault at the Parking Eye managed site for 19 minutes on May 16 while he cleared the trash from the site.
Days later he received the parking penalty.
Cliftonville East councillors Barry Manners and Marc Rattigan say they are now trying to get the fine cancelled but have also set up a fundraiser in a bid to get it paid, if needed, without hitting Geoff in the pocket. They have kicked off efforts with a £25 donation each.
They say Geoff was “really upset and left disheartened” to receive the fine. Below photos show the car park site before and after Geoff’s visit.
A furious Cllr Manners has written to Parking Eye, saying: “I am a local ward councillor in Margate. The driver of this vehicle is well known in the community as he devotes around 20 hours a week as a volunteer litter picker. He works alone, often with a dog.
“He was cleaning along the coast on this instance – and in particular cleaning litter that was strewn across the Lido Car Park. A responsible landowner would clear the litter themselves. The fact that they fail to do so and a member of the public is now being penalised for their civic responsibility on clearing up the landowner’s mess deserves scrutiny.
“I urge you to cancel the penalty, apologise to the driver and to make an effort to clear the litter on your land that blights the seafront.”
Cllr Manners added: “I have known Geoff for seven years since moving here. He’s a local legend – out in all weathers, often with his dog, picking up litter. He has done more than almost anyone to keep our streets and coastline litter free.
“The fine for parking just so he could clear the inexcusable litter at the Lido car park is a massive blow to him. I want the fine cancelled.
“Meanwhile let’s chip in so he doesn’t have to worry about it, with a few quid for a well earned drink in return for his thousands of hours of unpaid service to the community in Thanet. Well done to Cllr Marc Rattigan for setting up the GoFundMe. I hope everyone who appreciates clean streets and beaches can chip in a pound or two.”
UPDATE:
Parkingeye has now cancelled the penalty charge on appeal.
A spokesperson for Parkingeye said: “Parkingeye provides car park management services at Cliftonville Lido car park.
Lido
The two main Lido plots – excluding the snooker club area- were bought by Waterfront Holdings Limited in December 2024 for £182,897.
The sole director of Waterfront Holdings is Margate FC chairman Ricky Owen. A charge is registered against the company’s property with Evgueni Dogot as the ‘entitled person.’ Mr Dogot is also one of Margate FC’s principal owners and shareholders.
It had formerly been owned by company Stour Side Developments and Stour Side Investments which bought the two plots at, including the car park, for £699,999 in 2014.
In 2017 the company went into administration and remained so for a whopping seven years until creditors voluntary liquidation was enacted in 2024 and the site was sold.
Just when I thought things in Thanet couldn’t get more loony!
Why, he parked on private property without paying !
£10 donated.
EgonSpengler gets out the bath to have a piss seems.
Plus as it’s privately-owned the landowner is responsible for keeping it clean not TDC.
Oh I can assure you it can Peter – we’re still in Spring. Got weeks of Planet Thanet madness to come yet hosted by TDC and I suspect Southern Water at some point in the next 12 weeks.
The Lido is well known for this. Never go in the car park, never even turn round in their car park. Parking Eye get hardly any money from people paying from parking. Only those who don’t .
I wouldn’t risk parking my bicycle on that flimsy surface!
That will teach him to do TDC’s job they don’t!
Not TDCs job to litterpick private property.
He’s doing a grand job and for nothing but, it does NOT make him exempt from paying to park! If he parked on double yellow lines and got a ticket would he still expect the fine to be revoked? If he parked on the pavement and got a fine would he expect that to be retracted? He’s parked in a pay to park car park, why did he stupidly assume he was exempt? There are plenty of places he could have parked for nothing very close to the Lido, Fool!! “Go fund me” PLEASE, if any one gives to that I’ll start parking where I like and ask for others to pay my fines!!
I see the £10 as the Christmas tip I used to give the dustmen, but don’t anymore as they’re too lazy and sloppy. Much rather give it to a volunteer!
Since when was it the councils Job to maintain privately owned land Mrs Dover?
Just generally. As well meaning as this guy, is he should know better than to encroach on property tycoon land bankers/blight developers, who would sell their granny to make a quid territory.
It’s simple. Buy a ticket and take responsibility for your actions.
all any parking schemes are is a massive money making racket for those concerned , the hospital parking is the worst – money , money , money
I spoke to Kathy at Isle of Thanet News yesterday about Geoff’s parking fine. While most of use question the fairness of issuing a £100 charge at a car park that remains one of the seafront’s worst litter grot-spots, I’m pleased that local people have stepped forward to support someone who has done so much for our community.
Of course, Geoff should have bought a parking ticket. He has acknowledged that and nobody disputes the fact – even if it is to park on that unsightly patch of litter strewn concrete. We’ve all made mistakes, overlooked something, or been caught out along the line somewhere. The reason so many people have rallied around Geoff isn’t because they think parking should be free, it’s because they recognise the countless hours he has freely given helping to keep our coastline clean and tidy.
The response to the fundraiser has been heartening and shows Thanet at its best. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. I hope Geoff will take heart from this and we’ll see him and other volunteers on whom we depend out and about for years to come.
He admits he should have bought a ticket, fair enough but you are asking others to pay the fine despite his admitting he was in the wrong. Hats off to him for litter-picking a private car park which, despite what comments on the FB try to argue, is nothing to do with TDC but be careful what you wish for as you may find others asking for their fine to be cancelled or funded by others.
You’re all heart.
Me? He parked in a private car park, didn’t pay and got a fine. The fact he was clearing up litter that should have been dealt with by the owner was his choice. Why should others pay his fine?
My choice, not yours. End of.
Are you Labour Councillor Jenny Matterface? There surely cannot be two of them. Makes sense now-the new Tory Party of non-socialism & sucking up to the wealthy goes from top to bottom of the Liebour party.
The fact you seem outraged by some random guy trying to make the area look like less of a dump, people trying to get the fine rescinded & fundraising if that doesn’t work & not the property tycoon blight developers leaving it to rot-very apt seeing as the Lido itself has been allowed to rot for decades by the various administrations, Tudor House, Dreamland, Theatre Royal, Hartsdown Leisure Centre-which had to be closed for over a year until it could be decided whether there was enough cash after giving it to all the culture grfiters, Caves until recently etc-while everything has been given to the money losing Turner & other modern art dreck, along with Dreamland.
Just another reminder of why your revolting party is being decimated at the ballot box & why there will be very few New Tory Party councillors & MP’s left in the next few years.
The fact is shrugging your shoulders & saying the owners should pick it up but don’t & so what isn’t really a good look for Labour. You know full well TDC can take action to make them, yet you don’t-yet you seem intent on attacking & trying to close local newsagents & the Bong Shop for supposed anti-social behaviour with no evidence provided at court wasting taxpayer money & take away benches by your offices to punish the many for the behaviour of the few, what’s the matter? Scared because the people behind this have some resources? Only go after the weak?
Just ignore the ticket, I have ignored several from that spot and not once heard anything more.
Speculative invoicing style grift by the sounds of it.
Let’s dig up the road just in front of the entrance/exit (and blame Trump or Israel).
Let’s stage an accident there, blocking the access during 3 days waiting for the cops to arrive.
An archeological dig can take some time.
Maybe the whole carpark hides another Queen or King. Start digging. With spoons and toothbrushes.
Is it cool to fly tip there…so long as you pay for parking?
Although we all now know the filthy litter strewn car park and Lido complex is owned by the Margate FC tycoon, how is it allowed to charge £100 for entering and exiting again?, as we have read this here before when people realise there is a charge and decide not to park there after all.
How is it even private and chargeable when there is no gate or barrier to warn drivers? It’s freely open. This is a dodgy set up without any parking charge signs up for drivers to read before entering. You cannot stop and read anyway as you will hold up traffic, there is no driveway to the site. Once entered you get a penalty notice bill arrive even if you do not stop.
It should be outlawed as is unfair in a number of ways.
BTW, why didn’t the Cliftonville West Councillors become involved as it’s on their patch not Cliftonville East’s?
It seems there is a uniformed jobsworth at large.