A Lidl customer who was slapped with a £90 parking fine sent parking officials a hilarious 'stick man' drawing to show he was shopping - and was let off the charge.
Teacher Steve Crowley, 40, was left scratching his head when he received a demand through the post asking him to prove he had shopped at the store when he used the car park.
He couldn't find his receipt and, so he decided to draw an image of his family's shopping trip instead and submitted it in an email.
The child-like sketch features himself as a stick man saying: "Hey kids! It's approximately 12.30pm on 01.04.16! Time to go shopping!"
It even depicts a Lidl employee leaning against a wall "having a sneaky cigarette" when he should be "accurately inputting customer vehicle details into their computers".
Amazingly, Athena ANPR Ltd, acting on behalf of Lidl, accepted it as good enough proof that he had shopped at the store and cancelled his fine.
Read more:
They wrote: "Thank you for your email in regards to the above parking charge.
"We can confirm that the above parking charge has been cancelled."
Steve fell foul of a new parking system introduced at his local Lidl in Yate, near Bristol, which has recently installed CCTV cameras in its car park.
Customers are offered 90 minutes of free parking but anyone who does not visit the store is liable to a fine.
Shoppers must register their car number plate details at the checkout, which Steve failed to do when he visited the store on April 1.
He received a letter the following week demanding that he pay £45 in 14 days or it would rise to £90.
Steve was convinced the fine was not legally enforceable so decided to submit the illustration as a tongue-in-cheek joke.
He submitted it claiming it "clearly proves (he) was shopping at Lidl at the time and date of the alleged offence".
Read more:
"It's hilarious that they accepted it," he said. "Their car parking policy isn't about protecting Lidl customers - it's about making money."
Private firms cannot legally penalise drivers for misusing private land but can impose a charge for potential losses or damages.
Failure to pay is not a criminal act but, though it is unlikely as it is so expensive, you can be taken to civil court and ordered to pay.
A Lidl spokeswoman said systems are in place in some stores to keep car parking spaces available for customers.
She said: "We encourage any genuine Lidl customers who have incorrectly received a parking charge notice to get in touch with us directly via our Customer Services hotline.
"Customers who have overstayed in one of our car parks should then just provide us with proof of purchase and we will appeal the charge on their behalf.
"Customers who have special requirements and may have difficulty with the parking restrictions in place, should also get in touch with our Customer Services team who will help find a solution to their car parking needs."