• See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source

A driver was fined £100 as he sat in a car park eating ice cream.

Colin Beck, 73, had stopped with his wife for two 99 ice creams in a car park in the New Forest, Hampshire, when the server told them there was a 15-minute grace period before charges applied.

But after staying for less than ten minutes in the car park, at Godshill cricket club near Fordingbridge, a Forestry Commission inspector took down their licence plate.

Days later a £100 fine came in the post.

Parking charges were controversially introduced for the first time in the New Forest in April to support Forestry England's struggling finances.

But Mr Beck told the agency to 'get stuffed' and said he would not pay the fine.

'It's another way of screwing motorists,' he said.

'The New Forest is meant to be a free place, and I feel sorry for the guys that have got the ice cream businesses, because it must have hit them really hard.

Colin Beck was fined £100 after stopping for minutes in a New Forest car park to eat an ice cream with his wife

'They can get stuffed. That's the principle, really, isn't it?

'The ice cream man says he's there all the time and he says you can park there to eat your ice cream, but what are you expected to do?

'Buy an ice cream and then drive along the road eating it which is dangerous? It's just a bit heavy handed for just wanting to stop and have an ice cream, you know?'

Forestry England introduced charges at all 129 of its New Forest car parks, which were previously free, meaning any motorist including blue badge holders must pay.

Parking costs £1.50 for one hour, £3 for two hours, £5 for four hours and £8 for more than four hours, which left some visitors feeling priced out of the area.

A Forestry England spokesman said every car park had clear signs explaining the terms and the 'pay later' option.

They said the system gave motorists time to use the option before hitting them with a parking charge notice.