Popular Mansfield restaurant Il Rosso introduces car park charges over 'misuse' of site

However, customers at Il Rosso have warned the changes have resulted in fines.

A restaurant spokesman said: “Using an outside company to manage our parking was not the route we wanted to go down.

“With total misuse from residents and customers of nearby businesses and the abuse of our facilities, we had no option.

“Though it remains free of charge, we have no control over parking at Il Rosso. Smart Parking UK is solely responsible.”

Customers are invited to register their vehicles inside the Nottingham Road restaurant to avoid a charge.

However, Nicky Hughes was left furious after being issued a £60 penalty charge after dining at the restaurant.

She said: “We did not see any signs.

“Throughout our stay, not a single member of staff told us we needed to register our details.

“We did not see any signs or iPads.”

The restaurant spokesman said signs about the changes have been installed around the car park and inside Il Rosso.

He said: “Parking information is also contained in every booking confirmation and reminder email. We have tried to be as transparent as possible when implementing this change.

“It is also worth noting we do not receive a penny of any charges, any revenue goes to Smart Parking.”

A Smart Parking spokesman said: “We were brought into manage the car park in order to address parking abuse and ensure consumers can always find somewhere to park.

“There are 10 signs across the site that clearly set out the terms and conditions of use, one of which is you must enter your registration number into a touchscreen to secure free parking.

“Ms Hughes did not do this and was issued a charge. She did appeal to us, but provided no evidence she actually ate at the restaurant.”

Sheryl Brocklehurst was also issued a penalty charge after visiting the restaurant.

She said: “Apparently, there are signs up everywhere telling customers to enter their car registration, but we didn’t see them.

“Just warning you – if you eat here, beware of the circumstances. Our night ended up costing us £156.10.”