Sir, Loathe as I am to grumble I must describe an incident yesterday which may help or remind visitors to Kendal in the future. Three teenage children and myself booked to see a film at the Brewery and a meal afterwards at The Moon as an end-of-holiday treat. We arrived early for the 4pm start to ensure we could park. The Brewery, which offers many super entertainment features, has a woefully inadequate car park. We were greeted by the sight of a clamped car which was not very promising.

I pulled out into the one-way system and hoped to go over the river and round again to find a small car park I believe is near the Brewery.

The recently-changed traffic system took me instead to the Westmorland Shopping Centre multi-storey car park which had a space on Level 5. I carefully scrutinised the pay machine which had two notices about a change in tariff no doubt an increase.

I paid for the described 12 hours at £4.60 instead of £3.40 for eight hours to make sure we would be covered. Eight hours from 2.45pm would end at 10.45pm which, if our meal or film were to be delayed, would be a close call.

The film was terrific, the meal afterwards at The Moon was super and we headed back to the multi-storey car park around 9.15pm, in good time - to find it locked!

There were two small notices positioned by the hazardous entrance (where one is watching for traffic and pedestrians, not notices) displaying the opening hours - Monday to Saturday, 7.30am-7pm'. South Lakeland District Council cheerfully charged me £4.60 for 12 hours when the car park is not even open for 12 hours!

I called the emergency number given and an extremely helpful lady eventually contacted the police to come and unlock it. There was not a bus in sight (for Ulverston nor anywhere) and the train station, Oxenholme, is a good two or three miles out of Kendal. It was snowing and bitterly cold. The helpful police officer told us we were among many people who had had their vehicles locked in over the last few nights.

If Kendal welcomes visitors and promotes tourism perhaps its district council needs to be a little more helpful.

Felicity A. Anderson

Ulverston

January 9, 2003 15:00