I doubt if they'll obtain her number & call her because it would probably constitute a breach of their own association guidelines & would be viewed as harassment but........ it is technically possible. Just for your own & her peace of mind, contact Lidl & complain. If you can send them copies of bills or bank statements to demonstrate that you or she are genuine regular customers & your infringement was not excessive they should listen; especially if you threaten to never set foot in another Lidl if they don't cancel it. That's what I did & they cancelled mine. You could sit & bluff them out, & all the research I've seen suggests that it works but, if the likes of Lidl get enough complaints they'll have to change the way they run their carparks & you & your mum will get a quicker resolution with any luck. It's important that you DO NOT give them the name of the driver. Only the Police & Local Authorities have the legal right to demand this info & without it Athena can do nothing but bluff & harass people.

I know it's entertaining, & empowering, playing mind games with the likes of Athena, especially when you learn they are nothing more than a bunch of chancers without a legal leg to stand on. But there are, for every one of you, countless numbers of others that, either because they lack the knowledge, strength, or anger & fortitude, just cough up & this makes all the hassle from consumeractiongroup forum members financial small-beer. I recently recieved two letters; one from Lidl saying the charge would be cancelled & another from Athena saying it had been cancelled. I had complained to Lidl sending their customer services a couple of ranting emails which basically said that Athenas actions were immoral & would probably, like others in their "industry" be declared illegal in a private members bill coming soon. I also pointed out that their relationship with these companies did not make business sense because if I recieved any further demands from Athena I'd never set foot in another Lidl supermarket. I prefer this outcome. Jaw-jaw, not war-war, & more chance supermarkets will review their policies & Athena & their pals go bust.. Now if only the Local Authorites were as sensible regarding the highway robbery they blatantly commit with their parking "fines" & "safety" cameras. Come the revolution Brother...........

I ignored my first letter (Charge Certificate) from Athena ANPR Ltd wanting £90 reduced to £45 for an overstay of 15 minutes but wifey got to the second one ((Notice of Collection Proceedings) before me & hit the roof. It's hard to convince her, a non-driving, chauffeured back-seat-driver that if you do 20,000 miles per year the odd speed ticket & parking fine will inevitably result. Although she took some comfort from the advice & assurances published on websites & forums like this one, she like me is not really comfortable with the prospect of a virtually endless stream of intimidation through the letter-box & the unwelcome possibility of a pair of heavies turning up at the door one day. Anyway she has "encouraged" me to do a bit more than sit & wait. I first phoned Lidl & told them that, as a faithful & regular customer, I do not take kindly to the intimidating bully-boy tactics of extortion Athena uses. I told them that I can provide some, but not all, of the receipts I have from shopping at Lidl at various times & they have said they'll forward my complaint to their Car Parks Manager. I'm still waiting to hear what they'll decide & I'll keep you posted. Next I emailed Athena confirming I'm the keeper, asking them to take up the matter with the driver & reminding them that they cannot require me to provide details of the driver. I also told them I've made a complaint to Lidl, am waiting for the outcome & they should send any further communication to Lidl. Will let you know how that pans out. It does strike me though that I should have complained to Lidl right from the outset. If their customers don't complain then they'll remain convinced that putting car parking administration in the hands of smart-assed opportunists & licensed criminals constitutes a good business model. A similar thing happened to me at a Waitrose but, because they planted a ticket on my windscreen, I was able to deal with it straight away, face-to-face in a crowded supermarket, in a load voice in front of an apologetic supermarket manager who cancelled the ticket. There is no need for Lidle to use these kinds of companies. A Sainsburys near me requires you to buy a £1 ticket from a machine for two hours parking which you get back if you spend £5 or more & you don't get screwed if you get back a bit late because inevitably you have given them a justifiable profit for your 2+ hours parking. I agree with voting with your feet & have told Lidl that I'll not be shopping with them again unless they deal with this charge & tell Athena to go away. I hear that there is bill currently going through the Commons about all this & it's due to be heard in a few months time. If it succeeds then I reckon forums like this one & various consumer & motoring organisations should hang on to it's tailcoats to push for further reform of what has become legalised extortion of the motorist purely because they are an easy & soft target. I am old enough to remember yellow lines & parking meters being introduced into the UK to ease congestion in busy high streets & improve road safety. I am not conscious of the British public ever being given justification for the rational for these measures being changed from safety to revenue raising. Pilch