DOZENS of people have been surprised to receive £60 charges after a new company started monitoring private car parks in Ramsbottom.

Motorists have picked up tickets for parking in car parks they had been using free of charge for years, not realising that Accrington-based PCM had started monitoring them.

The company has taken on car parks owned by a number of local businesses, including the Mason's Arms in Bolton Road West, and the Northern Pets Centre in Bridge Street It put up notices advising that £60 charges would be issued to non-customers but motorists say the signs are so discreet that no one could be expected to see them.

Angela O'Sullivan (52), of Ryecroft Avenue, Tottington, received a ticket at the Mason's Arms.

She said: "People have been parking there for years with no problem. Now loads of people are getting caught out. The notice is so small that no one notices it."

Another motorist, who did not want to be named, said: "I couldn't believe it. I came back to the car park to find that every car had a ticket. The notice was hidden behind a parked van so there was no way I could have seen it. The car park used to be open to anyone during the day and there was no reason to think anything had changed."

A spokesperson for PCM said: "These are private car parks for the use of the businesses that own them.

"We were asked to monitor them because they were being abused by people not using the premises." She said the company's signs had been approved by the British Parking Association.

Carl Pemberton, of the Northern Pet Centre, said: "We were having a lot of problems with staff and customers not being able to get a space because the car park was being filled by other people.

"The parking company is reasonable and people seem to be getting used to the situation."