Our family visited Oxford from Cambridge for an enjoyable day out over the Easter weekend, despite very poor weather.

We spent the better part of the day at the excellent Ashmolean Museum, had lunch and went shopping.

All was going well until we returned to our car at the Redbridge park-and-ride, where we found a £100 parking fine on our windscreen. We had not realised we had to pay to park.

As regular park-and-ride users in Cambridge, which does not charge for parking, it never occurred to us that there would be a fee for parking and therefore, we were not looking for any notices.

We were preoccupied with getting our two small children safely across the car park to the waiting bus while negotiating umbrellas, hooded jackets etc against the driving sleet and snow. A sign prominently displayed near the bus informing of parking fees might catch visitors, who otherwise could have missed signs. We would have left the bus to pay had such a notice been visible.

I wrote to Oxford City Council and was told that "the council cannot distinguish between deliberate or unintentional non-display" and that we must pay the fine. Surely the council could give the benefit of the doubt to visitors?

We were told that the fine is reduced to £50 if paid within two weeks. I have since found out that the fee to park at Redbridge is £1. Why should the fine for failure to pay be so high?

I can only think that the council is trying to capitalise on those like ourselves who have been caught out.

A fine of £20 or even £10 would deter people from parking without paying, while not unreasonably penalising those who did not see the signs.

What started out as a carefully budgeted family day out has been ruined by a ridiculously inflated fine by an inflexible council - £50 is a lot of money to my family.

KAREN CHITTY Melbourn Herts