Motorists could still face hefty parking fines from the UK's largest car park operator, even after the company went into administration and sites have been closed.
National Car Parks (NCP) confirmed that it had collapsed into insolvency in March, putting hundreds of jobs and sites at risk.
Almost 30 sites have already closed, with fears that more could shut in the near future, as drivers could be left with few places to park in their towns and cities.
Even as the company falls into administration, drivers are being warned that they could still face fines for breaking parking rules.
Consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) was appointed as administrators for NCP in March and has instructed drivers that any parking charge notices need to be paid.
It explained that the administration process does not cancel or invalidate any parking charges that have already been issued.
Drivers remain liable for payment in accordance with the terms and conditions of the car park, and PCN payments should be made in the usual manner stated on the fine.
PwC added: "The Administrators are continuing to operate the business, and existing payment channels remain active. If you experience any difficulty making a payment, please contact the details provided on your notice."
Motorists will still face fines from NCP car parks, even if they have closed down
|GETTY
Data from PwC's latest report suggests that NCP has a backlog of almost 100,000 unpaid parking charge notices, as of March.
An estimated 15,000 are yet to be processed by debt collectors, while a staggering 85,000 fines have not yet been considered.
Debt collectors are estimated to have recovered around £402,000 so far, as the strategy to repay creditors gains traction.
Around £1.7million is owed to HMRC, while PwC has acknowledged the difficulty in recovering some older penalties.
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Almost 30 NCP car parks have already been closed since the company went bust
| PAExperts have also instructed drivers to pay their parking fines to NCP and other parking operators or risk facing further legal action.
John Wilmot, CEO of LeaseLoco, said drivers should continue to use NCP parking sites as normal and pay for their parking as normal.
He added: "Those with existing fines should also treat these as they usually would by either appealing or paying it off.
"NCP has gone into administration which means it still exists, it's just currently being run by PwC, this doesn't make fines void all of a sudden."
NCP collapsed into administration in mid-March as a result of financial issues
| PANCP car parks closed on Thursday, April 30
- Bradford Southgate
- Chester Browns Yard
- Kidderminster Swan Centre
- Nottingham Huntingdon Street
- Southampton Portland Terrace
NCP car parks closed on Thursday, April 16
- Belfast Dublin Road
- Coventry Belgrade Plaza
- Leicester St Nicholas Circle
- Sheffield Blonk Street
NCP car parks closed on Friday, March 27
- Ashford County Square
- Ashton-un-Lyne Cotton Street
- Banbury Marlborough Road
- Bexley Royal Oak Road
- Birmingham Gough Street
- Bournemouth Hinton Road (already closed)
- Bristol Nelson Street
- Bromley Travelodge
- Eastbourne Trinity Place
- Exeter Market Street
- Grantham Station 1-3
- Hinckley Britannia Shopping Centre
- Ipswich Portman Road
- Leicester Abbey Street
- Leicester East Street
- Leicester Lee Circle
- Leicester Rutland Centre
- London King's Cross St Pancras
- London Knightsbridge
- Luton Regent Street