A PENSIONER who is trying to play his part in saving the planet has been slapped with a parking fine after charging his electric-powered car for too long.

Retired police officer Mike Stanbury, 82, pledged to buy a Peugeot 3008 Hybrid in an attempt to help save the planet as his journeys only involve “nipping around town”.

But his experience of trying to charge his car while at Colchester’s Asda supermarket landed him with a £70 parking fine for overstaying his welcome while he hooked it up to a charging point.

The retired police sergeant left his motor charging for the required three hours and 15 minutes while carrying out his weekly shop but says he was unaware Asda’s free parking is limited to three hours.

Mr Stanbury, who lives in residential retirement complex Lancer House, Colchester, said he felt sick when the parking fine arrived in the post at his home a week after happily driving away.

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He said: “Because there is a charging point outside my house I decided I would get a hybrid car as most of my journeys are nipping around town.

“However the point hasn’t been connected, and neither has the one in Butt Road, meaning I have to travel to Asda to get charged up while I wait for them to be switched on.

“I felt sick when I saw the fine.

“You go into Asda and don’t think about being more than three hours so the ticket was a bit of a shocker.

“I will hold my hands up as I can’t appeal because the notices are there to be read but it is very frustrating needing three hours 15 minutes to charge my car but not actually being able to do so without getting fined.

“It’s a ridiculous state of affairs as there are ambitions of being carbon free but they have been done without any planning, it doesn’t make sense.”

Of the 912,255 cars and large goods vehicles in Essex in 2020, just 5,970 were plug-ins.

There are currently only 60 public charging points in the county which is below the national average.

The Gazette invited Asda to comment but it did not respond by the time of going to press.