PENSIONER John Prynne is counting the cost of a shopping trip after receiving a £95 fine for a parking ticket.

He received the penalty after overstaying by seven minutes in a car park behind Sainsbury’s in Bridport Road, Dorchester.

Mr Prynne, aged 74, of Lanehouse Rocks Road, Weymouth, said the charge worked out at £13.57 per minute – and bumped up the total cost of his trip to £155.

He said: “I was absolutely shocked when the letter came through threatening to send the debt collectors unless we paid a £95 fine.

“It is extortionate “We didn’t realise that there was a one-hour limit. There wasn’t any restriction when we first started going when Sainsbury’s first opened.”

He added: “We don’t abuse the parking.

“Friends have pointed out to me that I would have got fined less if I had been up in court for shoplifting from the store.”

The car park is behind Sainsbury’s and Carpet Right. It is not owned by the businesses but is operated by G 24 Ltd, which monitors cameras in the car park and issues parking fines.

A sign on the wall of Sainsbury’s has an arrow pointing to a customer car park at the back of the shop.

Former community nurse Mrs Prynne has a disabled badge for the car as she has trouble walking long distances although on this occasion they parked in a normal parking bay.

The couple have paid the fine for fear of the bailiffs visiting.

Mr Prynne said he wrote to the manager of the Dorchester Sainsbury’s and the head office but was upset to receive no reply from either.

Mr Prynne, who used to be in the Merchant Navy, and his wife Gillian first started shopping in Sainsbury’s in Purley where they lived after marrying 50 years ago.

They used to visit the superstore in Poole before the Dorchester shop opened in March 2009. They combined the shopping trips with visits to see their son Ashley, his wife and daughter in Charminster.

Sainsbury’s said it did not wish to comment as it did not own or operate the car park.

G 24 Ltd did not wish to comment.