Customers at a village pub have been left fuming after being hit with fines of up to £100 for parking in its car park.

The Hanbury Arms in Caerleon is one of many using a private car parking company, with the Hanbury using Premier Park Ltd (according to Parkopedia).

Customers are required to enter their car’s registration in an iPad within ten minutes of entering the car park.

Those who have exceeded this limit have received fines of up to £100 through their post boxes.

It seems to not matter if you have been a customer in the pub and spent money there because anything over ten minutes results in an immediate fine.

The pub’s customers have expressed concerns in situations where they might have to queue for the iPad, for example when the pub is busy.

Others are stressed that their elderly parents would not be able to make it from the far end of the car park to the iPad in time.

The Bull Inn, the Priory Hotel and Restaurant as well as the Ship Inn all use this same iPad system, and locals believe it is "pushing people away".

“I don't understand why these places are allowing this to happen when the hospitality industry has really struggled since Covid? This is going to put so many customers off using their pubs and restaurants,” said Sharon Teall Jordan.

There is the option to appeal the fines, but this is not always a successful solution according to some guests.

“My son had the Hanbury fine it is a joke. He appealed it and they refused to turn it over, so we won't go back there again,” said Jody Watkins.

The worry amongst locals is that these parking charge notices are going to put people off supporting local businesses.

Caerleon is a historical Roman village where its businesses thrive on local visitors and tourism.

According to Know Your Parking Rights, the private management of car parks is commercially necessary for landholders.

A spokesperson said: “The contracts, and their clauses, are necessary to prevent abuse of private land. This is commercially necessary as the landholder needs to manage their land to ensure that their business can run successfully.

“The terms and conditions of parking on private land are derived from agreements between the landholder and their contractor or car parking management company, and the motorist must comply with these when they park in the car park.”

Therefore the £100 fines being dished out to restaurant and pub guests, are down to decisions made by both the landlord and the parking company.

To avoid parking fines in Caerleon, visitors can park for free in the car park on Cold Bath Road or the Fosse near the Roman Amphitheatre.

There are also street parking options along the high street.

The Hanbury Arms has been approached for comment.