I WRITE regarding my son, who is a student at Bolton University, and has received a ticket for parking in McDonald's car park in Bolton for parking for over an hour.

I do realise that businesses are entitled to keep their car parks available for customers, but my son's car was there as he had purchased his lunch at McDonald's, unfortunately forgetting to return to his car to the college car park afterwards.

The cause of my complaint is that £95 (£75 if paid early) is an extortionate amount for two hours of unauthorised parking. This is a disgusting scam.

My children have been brought up visiting McDonald's on a weekly basis since they were babies. A visit to McDonald's has always completed our days out to the seaside or shopping, even when abroad. All that is now finished, and we will not be patronising any McDonald's again.

I call on all who read this to do the same to any establishment with similar practices. We have the power as consumers to stop this happening, but only if we stand together.

We are shocked and concerned that the DVLA, a public body, are in on this scam to provide the information.

My son's car is legally purchased, has an MOT, is taxed and insured - all at great expense. If this were not the case the DVLA would not have been able to trace it.

In the week when the Trevor MacDonald program exposes that fines as little as £150 are given to people driving death traps on the road, with no tax, insurance, MOT or even a driving licence, it makes you wonder where is the incentive to be legal?

It is persecution of the law abiding and grossly unfair. It is also an inappropriate waste of his student loan (government money) which if he decides to be a "dosser" he will not be responsible to pay back.

Something has gone seriously wrong here!

Mrs L M Walker Holly House Drive Urmston.