Tesco Hove Superstore parking fine: rules, free time and how to appeal

Tesco Hove Superstore is a supermarket car park serving Tesco in Hove, on Church Road (BN3 2DL). Parking here is managed by Horizon Parking, a private operator and member of the British Parking Association (BPA), so a ticket from this car park is a private Parking Charge Notice, not a council fine.

Horizon Parking enforces the rules at Tesco Hove Superstore using number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras that log the time you drive in and out. If you got a charge here it will usually have arrived by post, addressed to the registered keeper, and the times on it are camera times, not the time you parked.

The rules at Tesco Hove Superstore

You can park free for 2 hours, which is also the maximum stay. The free time is for Tesco customers only, so leaving the site to shop or work elsewhere can lead to a charge.

To park free you must enter your registration on the tablet or terminal inside Tesco. The cameras check visits against those entries, so a customer who forgets this step will usually get a charge. If that happens, the codes treat a missed registration as a reason to cancel or reduce the charge to £20, and your receipt is the evidence.

Horizon Parking replaced APCOA at the Church Road Tesco in Hove in about August 2025. At the same time the store brought in receipt validation: you scan the barcode on your receipt in store to get free parking. Regulars who had parked here freely for years started receiving 'failure to validate' charges, sometimes for stays well under an hour. Forum posters photographed a site with no entrance sign through 2025. By mid-2026 an entrance sign and in-store reminders had been added. Several drivers got charges cancelled by sending Tesco proof of purchase through its WhatsApp customer service. The store's email address has also been used.

How to appeal a charge at Tesco Hove Superstore

1. Don't ignore it. Note the date on the notice: you normally have 28 days to appeal to Horizon Parking, and 14 days to pay at the reduced rate if you decide to pay.
2. Gather evidence: photos of the signs and where you parked at Tesco Hove Superstore, receipts, payment records, and anything that explains why you stayed longer.
3. Appeal to Horizon Parking in writing. Keep to the facts and keep a copy. If you were not driving, you don't have to say who was.
4. If Horizon Parking rejects your appeal, it must give you a code to appeal to POPLA, the independent appeals service for BPA members. POPLA appeals are free, and you have 28 days from the rejection to use the code.

If you were shopping at Tesco

Keep your receipt. Tesco stores can often ask Horizon Parking to cancel a charge for a genuine customer, and a till receipt or card statement showing you shopped there that day is the strongest evidence you have. It also shows how long you were in the store compared with the 2 hours allowed.

Ask at customer services before you appeal. Some stores can log a cancellation request with the operator on the spot; if they can't, name the store manager you spoke to in your appeal.

Common reasons charges here get cancelled

• A few minutes over the limitThe cameras time your whole visit, from the entrance to the exit. With a 2 hours limit at Tesco Hove Superstore, an overstay of up to about 15 minutes is often inside the consideration and grace periods the code requires.
• You were a customer but forgot to registerCustomers who didn't enter their registration on the Tesco tablet can send a receipt or card statement. Tesco can ask for the charge to be cancelled, and under the codes a missed registration should be no more than £20.
• You were a Tesco customerProof you shopped or ate at Tesco on the day often gets a charge cancelled, especially when the overstay was short.
• Reported at this car park'Failure to validate' charges for shoppers who didn't know they had to scan their receipt
• Reported at this car parkHorizon took over from APCOA in 2025, and for months there was no entrance sign explaining the new rules
• Reported at this car parkLate notices that may not hold the keeper liable
• Signs you couldn't reasonably seeThe terms are a contract formed by the signs at Tesco Hove Superstore. If the entrance sign was missing, hidden or unreadable, photograph it from the driver's position; the codes set rules for size, placement and wording.

Get an appeal letter for Tesco Hove Superstore

Written for you from your check, addressed to Horizon Parking with this car park's details already filled in.

• First appeal, plus the POPLA appeal if it's rejected
• Late-appeal and £20-reduction letters included
• Edit it, then download as Word or PDF, or copy into the appeal form
• Full refund within 14 days, no questions

Start my letter, £5.99 Appeal for free instead

A document-preparation service, not legal advice. Your details stay on your device.

Questions about parking at Tesco Hove Superstore

How long can you park at Tesco Hove Superstore?

The maximum stay is 2 hours, with the first 2 hours free.

Who runs Tesco Hove Superstore car park?

Horizon Parking manages the parking for Tesco. It's a member of the BPA, so appeals go to Horizon Parking first and then to POPLA.

Is Tesco Hove Superstore car park free?

Yes, it's free for 2 hours, for Tesco customers. Staying longer than allowed can lead to a charge of up to £100.

Can I appeal a Horizon Parking charge at Tesco Hove Superstore?

Yes. Appeal to Horizon Parking within 28 days, with evidence. If it's rejected you can go to POPLA for free. Paying doesn't stop you appealing first, but the reduced rate usually only applies in the first 14 days.

Does Tesco Hove Superstore have parking cameras?

Yes, Horizon Parking uses ANPR cameras here. They record your registration and the time you enter and leave, and charges are posted to the registered keeper.

Last checked on 31 October 2026, from recent driver reports, cross-checked (MSE threads Oct 2025 and Jul 2026 plus ftla.uk thread Oct 2025 naming Horizon at Tesco Hove; validation rule and 2-hour limit from threads; address from Tesco store locator). Signs and rules change, so the signs on the day are what count. Spotted something different? Report a change.