If you are into Optical Illusion challenges here is a challenge for you. Try to locate the hidden Odd Burger ...
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Optical Illusion Brain Challenge: Can you find the Odd Burger in 12 Seconds?
Optical Illusion Brain Challenge: If you have Eagle Eyes find the Odd Watermelon in 15 Seconds
If you are a keen observer try to find the Odd Watermelon in this Optical Illusion. It is time to ...
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We live next to UK’s creepiest prison that housed sick ‘Acid Bath Killer’ & Krays’ evil hitman…it’s now a crumbling ruin
IT was once the world’s most famous prison – now Dartmoor is an empty shell.
Murderers, serial killers, gangsters, spies – and even the president of Ireland – have done time there.
But the jail closed last summer after a health scare and its future now hangs in the balance.
Which could mean a multi-million headache for Prince William.
The sprawling stone complex which holds 650 inmates is owned by the prince’s Duchy of Cornwall estate, and the Home Office now looks likely to cancel its lease and hand the keys back to William.
As heir to the throne, William is owner of 135,000 acres of land and property which provide him with a whopping income – accounts for 2023-4 show he trousered £23.6 million from the estate.
But Dartmoor – immortalised in the Sherlock Holmes mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles – is a whopping white elephant.
Nobody wants it.
Back in 2019, the government announced plans to close Dartmoor in 2023. It was considered old, ramshackle and colossally expensive to run.
But as jails across the country continued to be full to bursting, the decision was reversed.
However, last year high levels of radon, a radioactive gas, were discovered in the rocks surrounding the prison. Over 600 inmates were quickly shipped out to other locations.
Ironically, breaking up those same Dartmoor rocks was part of the ‘hard labour’ punishment handed down by judges up till 1948, when the practice – along with flogging – was abolished.
No doubt the few lags and lifers who’ve been detained in the Moor at the sovereign’s pleasure would be surprised that nitpicky health rules should shut down the toughest slammer in Britain.
The Ministry of Justice signed a new 25-year lease on the prison in 2023 but will now be regretting that decision – health and safety requirements meaning that, according to one local, “it’d be cheaper to build a new jail than fix this one.”
Dartmoor was built in 1809 to house French prisoners in the Napoleonic wars. Soon they were replaced by troops captured during America’s war with Britain which kicked off in 1812.
At one stage the massive stone prison blocks, surrounded a by high circular wall, were crammed with up to 6,500 detainees. Inevitably some managed to escape.
But the terrain outside – miles and miles of exposed moorland with no shelter – meant few got away. Locals were offered a bounty of a guinea per head for every absconder they collared.
Violent convicts
One who did get away in the 20th century was notorious gangster Frank Mitchell, known as The Mad Axeman.
With a reputation for violent robbery, Mitchell claimed there wasn’t a lock he couldn’t pick – he escaped several times from prisons and psychiatric wards.
So strong he could lift a grand piano unaided, his party trick was to pick two grown men up by the scruff of the neck – one in each hand.
In an earlier escape he’d held a couple hostage, threatening them with an axe – hence his nickname. He became known as Britain’s most violent convict.
Mitchell escaped from a Dartmoor work-party in 1966 in a plot engineered by the Kray brothers, who had him whisked away to London in a getaway car.
While the bleak winter moorland was being combed by 200 police officers, 100 Royal Marines, and an RAF helicopter, Mitchell was happily feasting on his dinner in East London.
Confined for his own safety to a Kray safe house, he became argumentative and violent. So the Krays had him shot, the Axeman taking 12 bullets before he finally died.
His body was never found.
Local retired teacher Carolyn Cullum says: “I remember when the Mad Axeman escaped. Sirens were blaring and we were all told to stay indoors and lock our doors.”
He was one of the rare ones that got away – most of the escapees would get lost or give up through cold and exposure.
Sometimes they would go and hide in the woods nearby, not realising that the authorities had placed sensors in there to detect human movement.
“The best thing to do if you were banged up in Dartmoor was – do your porridge, keep your nose clean, speak nicely to the warders and you’ll be out in no time,” one local commented.
Acid bath murderer John Haigh did time in Dartmoor before being released to kill six (he claimed nine) innocent people.
The accountant battered to death or shot his victims, and disposed of their bodies using sulphuric acid. He then went on to forge their signatures so he could sell their possessions and collect the money.
Before slaughtering his first victim, a wealthy rent collector, Haigh experimented with field-mice and discovered that it took only 30 minutes for their bodies to dissolve.
It actually took two days for the body of William McSwan to evaporate in a 40-gallon drum – but so encouraged was he by the results that Haigh then moved on to McSwan’s parents before picking off more victims.
After his 1949 arrest, police discovered 28lb of human body fat, part of a human foot, gallstones and some false teeth outside his workshop.
Haigh’s big mistake was to believe he could not be found guilty of murder if the bodies could not be found.
Former Dartmoor inmate Jack McVitie, known as Jack The Hat, was a notorious enforcer and hitman during the reign of the Kray Brothers in the 1950s and 60s.
But having fallen out with the twins, he made the crucial error of going round London pubs saying he was going to kill them.
Their response was to invite him to a party with the idea of shooting him as he entered the room.
Reggie would pull the trigger. But Reggie’s gun jammed, so instead he knifed McVitie in the face, chest and stomach.
“Jack got silly,” recalled his friend Joey Pyle later. “He knew he was going to get it. I can’t blame the twins for what they did – if someone goes around saying they’re going to kill you, you don’t have a lot of choice – you have to do them first.
“But Jack should never have gone the way he did. He died like a ****ing rat.”
Less lurid, but possibly the most high-profile prisoner Dartmoor ever had was Eamon de Valera, later to become President of Ireland.
The politician was a prisoner in Dartmoor for a short time before being released in 1917. He’d been a leader of the Easter Rising in 1916 and was originally sentenced to death.
But his time in Dartmoor convinced him that prison was not for him, and when he was re-arrested and sent to Lincoln jail he was determined to escape.
He did – by getting friends in Dublin to send him lock-picking materials baked in a cake. You couldn’t make it up.
UK prison crisis
LAST year, the government introduced Operation Early Dawn to tackle the growing prison crisis.
It is an emergency measure aimed at managing overcrowding in prisons.
Under this plan, if someone is arrested and might need to be held in custody, they won’t be taken to court until a space in prison is confirmed for them.
Instead, they will be kept in a police cell.
This operation helps prevent overcrowded conditions in prisons by delaying court appearances until there’s a confirmed prison space available.
The measure was recently triggered due to a sudden increase in the prison population, especially after the sentencing of individuals involved in recent riots.
But the operation may cause delays in court proceedings, as cases can be postponed until a prison cell is ready.
But the days of the hard men of Dartmoor are long gone. Most recently the place has been designated Category C, a training and resettlement establishment only one step away from an open prison.
Now, the once-notorious Dartmoor stands empty. And unless the cash-strapped Starmer administration can find the millions to refurbish the place – this week the Prison Service stated that a decision will be taken later in the year – its 216-year run as the world’s most famous jail will be over.
And as Duke of Cornwall, Prince William will be left with a multi-million pound headache.
What do you do with a prison nobody wants?
Various ideas have been floated locally, including converting the old stone buildings into a hotel – as happened successfully in Oxford in 2006.
But that might cost William’s Duchy much more than the site is actually worth, since it’s too remote to be turned into housing and, stuck right in the middle of Dartmoor’s 50,000 acres, there are few other options left.
Mark Renders, who owns Princetown’s post office and shop, and is a local councillor and member of the Dartmoor National Park Authority says: “Closure has been hanging over us since the 1960s. Re-opening the prison will depend on whether the government will spend money on it when they review their finances later in the year.
“But it would be a tragedy to see such an iconic building closed and left to fall down.
“Princetown is the highest village in the country and we get around 30,000 visitors a year and that will have an effect on the locals if the closure is permanent.
“The Duchy are playing their cards very close to their chest so we don’t know what their plans are when the prison closes. A lot of people locally feel the Duchy is using the Radon scare as an excuse to mothball the place, and that the problem is not as bad as all that.
“We live on a huge block of granite here and though I’ve lived here for 13 years, I’ve never heard of anyone dropping dead from Radon.”
“But if the closure’s permanent, Princetown will take it on the chin.”
Maybe it’s time for William to pay his first visit – unlock a cell door, sit down with a bowl of porridge and work out what’s to be done next.
Love Island’s Ekin-Su tells Curtis it was ‘nice knowing you’ as she’s left fuming during row
EKIN-SU Cülcüloğlu told Curtis Pritchard “it was nice knowing you” as they clashed during a heated Love Island All Stars debate.
The Love Island stars are currently coupled up but in last night’s episode of Unseen Bits Ekin-Su, 30, wasn’t impressed when Curtis, 28, didn’t believe her story about aliens.
Bombshell Ekin was seen telling Curtis about the time she believes she communicated with extraterrestrials.
Curtis quipped: “You chat absolute rubbish.”
But Ekin insisted: “My brother was there… I was on FaceTime to my cousin and the call gets interrupted suddenly, goes purple and these three heads…
“I’m not lying. This isn’t a joke, I’m not hallucinating… three heads came up on my iPhone. Please believe me.”
While Curtis laughed Ekin looked very serious and repeated: “I’m not joking.”
She explained that her strange call came on the same evening many others on social media claimed to have spotted UFOs in the sky.
But Curtis replied: “I believe it will have been some sort of hack or bug.”
Ekin didn’t seem pleased with his response and said: “Nice knowing you Curtis.”
It comes after Ekin clashed with Ronnie Vint as he desperately tried to deny calling his relationship with Harriett Blackmore a “showmance”.
After Harriett returned as a bombshell the girls informed her of Ronnie‘s comment.
When she questioned him on it he stormed over the group and furiously denied it.
Jumping to her feet, Ekin appeared to have a lightbulb moment and claimed she could remember when Ronnie said it.
“You f***ing said it, mate, don’t lie!” Ekin yelled across the garden to him.
“It was at the red flag game, at the fire pit!”
Ronnie shot back: “Ekin you weren’t even there! No, you weren’t! Why are you even getting involved?!”
Inside Prince William’s ‘major’ plans for ‘secret weapon’ Sophie Wessex when he’s on the throne
SOPHIE Wessex has rightfully climbed the royal ranks, becoming a ‘secret weapon’ for the family.
And so it may not come as a surprise that Prince William, 42, has ‘major plans’ for The Duchess of Edinburgh, who recently turned 60, when he ascends the throne.
Sophie has become one of the most popular working royals who backs difficult causes which previously received very little global attention.
Not only does she have a close bond with the likes of King Charles, 76, Queen Camilla, 77, and The Princess of Wales, 43, but her wide recognition as a ‘secret weapon’ for the Firm has led experts to say she will have a coveted role when Prince William’s time on the throne arrives.
Reports that William will give his aunt a key role were provoked after a royal insider spoke to The Sunday Times and said: “They [the Waleses and the Edinburghs] get on very well.”
The source then added that they believe that the Prince of Wales will be “eager for his aunt and uncle to play a more prominent role in public life”.
Not only this, but speaking to OK!, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said: “By any measure, Sophie has proved herself to be a major asset to the royal family, and William would be foolish to ignore the value she brings.”
Whilst William isn’t afraid to shy away from challenging subjects like mental health and male suicide rates, Sophie is eager to focus on the difficult subjects of the eradication of sexual violence in conflict areas, female genital mutilation and gender equality.
Praising Sophie further, Jennie added: “She is dignified and elegant, and yet still the same Sophie she was when she met Edward: unpretentious, generous and with a natural charm.
“She has worked below the radar for many years, neither expecting nor receiving the publicity she deserves.
“Recently though, with the slimmed down royal family, the public have come to recognise how important the Duchess is to the work of the monarchy.”
One of the reasons behind Sophie’s impressive rise is the role she has assumed as a talented diplomat who is frequently sent abroad to carry out politically sensitive and high-profile trips to war-torn or otherwise troubled areas of the world.
She has been on tours to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Baghdad, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Sudan and, more recently, Ukraine.
Jennie recognised: “The Government have deployed her to use the monarchy’s soft power in a number of very delicate situations.
“She is always well prepared and confident to take on more responsibilities. And she has taken on some highly sensitive issues in some of the most dangerous parts of the world.
“At just sixty, she is a relatively young member of the senior royals…so I am sure there will be a major role for her in the future, and King William will be leaning heavily on both Sophie and Edward to support the monarchy in all it does in the future.”
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh's 'humble' start in life
UNLIKE Prince Edward, Sophie comes from humble beginnings.
The daughter of a tyre salesman and a secretary, she was working in PR at Capital Radio when they met in 1987.
Edward was dating her friend at the time, but six years later they got together after a charity event.
Sophie continued to work for a few years after they got married before finally becoming a full-time royal in 2002.
“I remember our first meeting many years ago when she was just becoming known as Edward’s girlfriend,” former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said.
“I was lunching at The Ritz with one of the Queen Mother’s ladies in waiting when I saw Sophie at a nearby table. I seized the moment and introduced myself which was probably very annoying for her, but she was charm personified, and we chatted for a few minutes.
“And I really don’t think she has changed much since then.
“Yes, she and Edward live in a mansion, have titles and huge privilege, but Sophie has known a life outside those cloistered palace walls and she has kept her sense of perspective.
“For example, she has told her children that, titles or no titles – and they have chosen thus far not to use their HRH status – they should expect to have to earn a living.
“Sophie was happy for her daughter to take on a seasonal job at a garden centre for less than £7 an hour.
“And during the pandemic Sophie served as a volunteer with the Royal Voluntary Service, talking with people on the phone to help them combat the feeling of isolation – and she carried on talking with some of them after the pandemic ended.
“She will also often travel under the radar to places like Malawi, Botswana or Ethiopia to visit projects dedicated to promoting eye health and preventing blindness, and she does this from the heart after her daughter Louise was born with a squint.
“Sophie is one of the strengths of the new monarchy – elegant, engaging and empathetic. I think people have really taken her into their hearts.”
Not only this, but in recent years, The Duchess of Edinburgh has proved herself as an engaging and empathetic senior member of the Royal Family – with many referring to her as King Charles’ ‘secret weapon’.
She’s also been seen as a ‘helping hand’ to Princess Kate after her recent cancer diagnosis.
Sophie has proved herself to be a major asset to the royal family, and William would be foolish to ignore the value she brings
Jennie Bond
When Kate stepped back from public life, Sophie was the first to take on some of her engagements.
“That sort of pragmatism, a genuine desire to help and support someone who has been knocked off kilter, is pure Sophie,” says a senior royal source.
“It really helped William and Kate, obviously in a practical way, but also knowing Sophie could always be relied upon to give her support whenever it was needed.”
And that support was extended to the Wales’s children, with ‘Aunt Sophie’ arranging picnics and play dates at Bagshot for George, 11, Charlotte, nine, and Louis, six, during the times when Kate needed to rest after her debilitating sessions of chemotherapy.
Away from the spotlight, she and Prince Edward live at Bagshot Park in Surrey with their two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and James, Earl of Wessex, 17, when they are not away at university and school.
She and Edward marked their 25th wedding anniversary last year, and their love for one another was clear to see as Sophie paid tribute to him in a heartfelt speech in which she called him “the best of fathers, the most loving of husbands and still is my best friend.”
Гороскоп на 26 січня за картами Таро для всіх знаків Зодіаку
26 січня – день, коли енергія карт Таро допоможе зрозуміти приховані аспекти життя, знайти відповіді на важливі питання та обрати правильний шлях. Таро розкривають таємниці майбутнього і надають підказки кожному знаку зодіаку. Цього дня особливу увагу слід приділити своїм відчуттям та інтуїції, адже карти вказують не лише на зовнішні події, а й на внутрішній […]Brooke Shields Reveals the Pay-It-Forward Response She Has When Others Tell Her Something ‘Complimentary’
Brooke Shields is all about kindness. While appearing in the January 13 episode Call it what it is podcast, the ...
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Kyle Walker’s wife Annie Kilner shows off stunning new look as she prepares for life in Italy after AC Milan transfer
KYLE WALKER’S wife Annie Kilner showed off a stunning new look ahead of a major move for her and her family.
The mother-of-four is due to fly to Italy to join Kyle Walker following the 34-year-old’s loan transfer to AC Milan.
Annie, who has more than 81,000 followers on Instagram, showed off eye-catching long and dark braided hair which fell down around her shoulders and to her waist.
She was also seen in a sparkly silver bikini top paired with light blue jeans.
The new look was present as the 33-year-old went out to party for a friend’s birthday as she captioned the post: “Shauna turns 40.”
She also reposted a video from a friend’s Instagram to her story as they enjoyed the night out.
It is understood Annie will by flying to join Walker in Italy after he completed a £4.2million loan from Manchester City to AC Milan that includes an option to buy on a permanent basis.
The Sun revealed how Annie scrapped £27m plans to divorce the defender after a cosy Christmas with the star and their children.
And Annie is now set to move to Milan with Walker, underlining efforts to turn over a new leaf amid their scandal-hit marriage.
The hope is to start afresh by moving away from the goldfish bowl of Cheshire and the constant noise surrounding him and Lauryn Goodman — mother of two of his children.
A source told The Sun: “Annie has made it clear to friends she is making the move to Italy for the sake of her family, telling them, ‘I’m doing it for the boys’.
“Getting away from the UK and the noise surrounding Kyle’s sex scandals and drama with Lauryn is what they desperately need. They feel smothered.
“It’s been a traumatic 12 months and they now just want to put it behind them and attempt to lead some sort of normal existence for a while.”
Annie and their four boys will fly to Italy by private jet from Manchester Airport ahead of Milan’s Serie A showdown against Parma tomorrow.
The insider added: “Annie is still intent on going through with the divorce, which Kyle won’t oppose, but the longer they remain together, the more chance they have of eventually reconciling against the odds.
“Kyle accepts that he is taking his problems with him and won’t ever escape what he has done.
“This is an opportunity for him to get some breathing space and for the couple to work out their next steps.”
Walker was spotted in the stands at the San Siro during the game alongside ex-Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Michael Oliver should be DROPPED for sending off Arsenal’s Lewis-Skelly in ‘major error’, slams former referees’ chief
MICHAEL OLIVER should be DROPPED by the Premier League after his “major error” in sending off Myles Lewis-Skelly.
That’s the opinion of former head of the PGMOL Keith Hackett after Oliver’s card-happy performance in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Wolves.
Oliver controversially sent off Gunners’ teenager Lewis-Skelly during the first half at Molineux on Saturday.
The full-back, 18, was given his marching orders for a challenge made on Matt Doherty just before the break.
Lewis-Skelly brought down Doherty as Wolves tried to counter, resulting in Oliver dishing out a straight red.
VAR upheld the decision, leaving Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta “absolutely fuming.”
Hackett believes the decision was a “major error” by both Oliver and Darren England on the VAR.
And he called for the Premier League to stand down the experienced whistler.
Speaking on TalkSPORT’s Sunday Edition with Shaun Custis and Henry Winter, Hackett said: “I’d be admitting this morning that this is a major error, that you don’t expect the alleged number one referee to make.
“He’s on top of the incident. I think he’s too close and so I think he requires operational advice.
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
“I’d be saying to Michael Oliver, I think you need a rest and I think you’re not going to see another game in the Premier League for a couple of weeks.”
Hackett called for more “accountability” following the incident.
And he was speechless that England had been allocated a spot on the VAR for Sunday’s clash between Crystal Palace and Brentford.
He continued: ” Darren England’s allocated a game this afternoon at Crystal Palace.
“So as VAR, he would not be on that game.
“I’m quite clear that there needs to be seen to be a level of accountability.”
Hackett also recommended that the Premier League look at reforming the way VAR is run.
VAR: Imagine the future...
Martin Lipton’s pro VAR view
FAST forward 12 months to May 18, 2025.
After 89 minutes at Molineux, Wolves, needing to win their last game of the season to stay up, are beating Manchester United, who require a point for Champions League football.
A ball over the top sends Rasmus Hojlund racing away. The flag stays down. Hojlund scores. Wolves are relegated.
And on the way home, the dejected Wolves fans see the still image on their phones.
Hojlund was 2ft offside. No question. A shocker.
It means at least a year in the Championship, £100million income drop, a firesale of the squad. While United bank an extra £50m.
But it’s OK. Every one of those fans, plus smiling boss Gary O’Neil and the Wolves board, will line up to say: “No worries. It’s what we voted for. Rough with the smooth.”
Yes. And I’ve got a bridge to Ireland to sell you.
He added: “There is no doubt in my mind that the VAR panel should be independent.
“Not active referees, to be honest.
“I do believe that this is a problem that Oliver has with the VAR people and personnel.
“You want them to build a relationship up, you want them to be a team and tightly knitted, but there’s also got to be trust.
“Last night, I’d have been on the phone to Darren England, if I was Michael Oliver, asking why he let him down.”
Arsenal player ratings: David Raya saves all three-points for Arsenal but Trossard’s woeful deliveries an issue again
ARSENAL finally won a match with ten-men after Myles Lewis-Skelly was controversially sent off.
It was the Gunners’ fourth sending off this season and they had not won any of their matches without 11 players this term.
But Arsenal showed their character and battled past Wolves 1-0.
Here is how SunSport rated the players’ performances.
DAVID RAYA – 8/10
Very little to do until the 63rd minute when he brilliantly tipped a deflected Matheus Cunha effort wide. He then stopped Rayan Ait-Nouri in a one-on-one in the 84th minute.
MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY – 6
Was having another fine game before being the victim of one of most ludicrous red cards in Prem history. His cynical trip was worthy of a yellow and nothing more.
WILLIAM SALIBA – 7
Arsenal just look so solid with him in this backline. A welcome return from a minor hamstring injury. Kept Cunha at bay.
GABRIEL – 7
Led from the front and put his body on the line. Constantly headed away from danger.
JURRIEN TIMBER – 6
Hit with some nasty challenges that required treatment – including one that had Joao Gomes sent off – but carried on playing and was resolute.
DECLAN RICE – 7
More of a goal threat than in recent weeks and stood up when Arsenal needed him.
THOMAS PARTEY – 7
Steady Eddie for most parts back in his favoured midfield position after spells at right-back this season. Displayed his importance to this side once more.
ETHAN NWANERI – 6
Unfortunately made way at half-time as a sacrificial lamb following Lewis-Skelly’s sending off. Was a lively, creative spark in the first-half.
LEANDRO TROSSARD – 5
In the absence of Bukayo Saka, the Belgian is on corner-taking duty, but his deliveries were woeful. A quiet afternoon that sums up why he is in and out of the team currently.
GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 6
Was lacking that clinical edge in the first half, but came up with the cross after the break that led to Arsenal’s vital opener.
KAI HAVERTZ – 7
Missed two glorious first half chances with his head and another in the second half, but worked tirelessly on his own – especially with Arsenal down to ten.
SUBS:
RICCARDO CALAFIORI (NWANERI, 45) – 8
The sort of goal that keeps title dreams alive. Added real height and danger aerially, as well as a sweet volley from a tough angle.
KIERAN TIERNEY (MARTINELLI, 87) – N/A
Despite going down to the ten men, Arsenal ground out a priceless 1-0 victory to keep themselves in the title race.
Oliver had his cards out again in the second half at Molineux, sending off Wolves’ Joao Gomes for a second yellow card.
But it was Lewis-Skelly’s dismissal – and his subsequent three-game ban – that had the Gunners raging.
Arteta fumed to Sky Sports after the game: “I am absolutely fuming but I leave it with you.
“Because it is that obvious, I don’t think my words are going to help.”
Gunners legend Ian Wright also slammed the decision and accused refs of attempting to be the “centre of attention.”
Wrighty said in a social media post: “It’s a joke.
“Anyone that has ever played the game, and I’m not even talking Premier League, I’m talking five-a-side, Sunday league, knows that it’s never a red.
“Yellow card, nobody says a word. Time and time again, this level of refereeing [and] the decisions in the Premier League… the inconsistency, the excuses, the apologies.
“All of them are just the centre of attention for me. We can’t criticise too hard because, where are the refs going to come from? Where are we going to get them?”
I was fined £170 for staying in car park 65 seconds too long when QR code spooked me… I had to borrow money from a pal
A GRAN has slammed car park bosses after she was charged a whopping £170 for staying 65 seconds too long.
Angela Jones, 60, said that she was forced to ask a friend to help her pay the fine which left her feeling “humiliated”.
The 60-year-old parked her Nissan Juke in Kings Heath High Street car park, Birmingham, but was unsure about how to pay for her spot.
A fellow motorist told her that she needed to download an app to pay, but Angela quickly deleted it from her phone as she was concerned that it could be a scam.
QR scams have become increasingly common in the UK, with crooks using fake codes to lead drivers to dodgy websites.
Once drivers enter their payment details, the criminals then drain their accounts.
Angela left the car park at 15:29:50, believing that she was still within the free five minute parking period.
However, unbeknownst to her, she had overstayed by 65 seconds, leading her to be slapped with a £100 fine.
She appealed to Parking Charge Collections Ltd (PCC) but had her appeal rejected.
That launched a legal battle which almost “finished” Angela “off”, as she was already struggling to pay her bills despite working three jobs.
Sadly, her plea was rejected a second time after she did not correctly verify her email address with the IAS.
After receiving a letter from solicitors acting on behalf of PCC demanding payment, Angela said she felt “intimidated” to pay up.
Angela, who has five grown-up children and one granddaughter, said: “It affected my mental health greatly and left me in the position where I was so scared that I paid it before any legal action was taken.
“I was waking up in the night, terrified there would be bailiffs knocking at me door.
“I had to borrow the money from a friend which was humiliating.”
Eventually, Angela contacted her MP Bradley Thomas who contacted the trade association for private parking firms, the International Parking Community (IPC).
After several weeks of letters being exchanged, Angela’s fine was eventually cancelled but, weeks on, she is still waiting for a refund.
In light of the events, IPC said it is working to ensure private car parks do not hand out similar fines.
PCC has been approached for comment.
It comes as a woman revealed how she was scammed out of £100s at a car park after scanning a fake QR code.
In a video posted to social media, the duped car owner picked at a QR code sticker over the top of the real QR code.
Quishing: QR Code Scams
QR code scams are becoming increasingly common in the UK.
What are QR code scams?
QR scams are often referred to as as “quishing”.
They involve scammers placing fake codes on car park signs and in shops, which lead shoppers to fake websites.
Then, shoppers are encouraged to enter their payment details.
This allows the crooks to drain hundreds of pounds from your account.
One driver thought he was being charged 90p before noticing that he had been automatically subscribed to a recurring £39 payment.
AVOID SCAMS
If you see a QR code in a public place, there are some steps that you can take to avoid getting scammed.
- Signs of tampering: Check to see if a code looks as though it has been placed over the original. The code stuck onto the sign is likely to be fake.
- Checking the URL: If the URL that the QR code takes you to doesn’t match the one on the parking sign, it’s probably fake.
- Use the official app: Using the official app for the car park or store will help you pay the company directly. This stops a scammer from intercepting your money.
