Barry Beavis , 48 , lost his case at the Court of Appeal . Millions of motorists face spiralling parking fines after judges ruled yesterday that £85 was not an 'excessively high ' penalty for staying too long in a car park . Barry Beavis launched a legal bid to overturn his fine , saying it was unfair , disproportionate and unenforceable . But in a landmark ruling , appeal court judges decided the size of the fine was neither 'extravagant or unconscionable ' . Motoring groups reacted in fury to the decision , accusing the judges – who are thought to earn more than £200,000 a year – of being 'out of touch ' . Mr Beavis , from Chelmsford , Essex , had gone to court to fight what he called the 'bullying and threatening ' private car park firms which heavily penalise motorists who overstay in parking spaces . The 48-year-old , who runs a fish and chip shop , got the £85 fine in April 2013 when he overstayed by 56 minutes in a private car park at the Riverside Retail park in Chelmsford . The car park , run by parking firm ParkingEye Ltd , allowed two hours of free parking , but Mr Beavis stayed for three . He claimed the £85 charge against him was disproportionate and vowed to fight the companies who 'extort money by threatening and bullying people into paying up ' . But yesterday judges said the fine was enforceable because it was not 'excessively high ' . Mr Beavis said he was 'absolutely furious ' and planned to appeal . Meanwhile motoring groups said the ruling was a victory for the parking cowboys and would open the floodgates for unscrupulous profit-hungry firms 'falling over themselves ' to ramp up the already hefty penalties they impose . Ian Taylor , of the Alliance of British Drivers , said : ' I think the judges are somewhat out of touch if they think £85 is n't extravagant . 'An £85 penalty may not seem much to a rich lawyer – it 's probably less than many charge for an hour . But for the average hard-pressed motorist trying to make ends meet , it 's a very heavy and unfair burden . ' Professor Stephen Glaister , director of the RAC Foundation , said the ruling would hand parking firms a 'blank cheque ' to milk drivers , adding : 'This decision could cost motorists millions . 'If judges believe £85 is not an extravagant amount then what is ? £100 ? £200 ? Our fear is that parking firms will now be falling over themselves to raise their penalty charges and punish drivers . ' Mr Beavis had parked his car at the Riverside Retail Park in Chelmsford , pictured above , on April 15 , 2013 , . The retail site , pictured above , offers two free hours of parking and Mr Beavis was fined after he returned 56 minutes late . Richard Lloyd , executive director of consumer watchdog Which ? , said : 'We are concerned that this decision waters down the law on penalty charges and may encourage excessive default charges . ' And AA president Edmund King said : 'Britain 's motorists really will think judges are out of touch with everyday life if they consider £85 to be a reasonable amount of money for a parking penalty . £85 may not seem much to highly paid lawyers but it represents a great deal of money to cash-strapped motorists . ' He added : 'This is a licence to print money for people who have now been handed an open cheque-book and invited to make up the figures as they like . ' Speaking outside of the Court of Appeal Mr Beavis said he would now be taking the case to the Supreme Court . Parking trap : Many motorists face steep fines for running a few minutes over their allotted time . The three judges who unanimously dismissed the challenge – Lord Justice Moore-Bick , Lord Justice Patten and Sir Timothy Lloyd – are all thought to earn around £202,000 a year . Yesterday ParkingEye welcomed the judgment , saying it gave 'clarity to motorists and the parking industry ' and 'further confirms that our parking charges are fair , reasonable and legally enforceable ' . But speaking outside court , Mr Beavis said : 'These firms are not run on a moral basis , they 're only out to make as much money as they can , to profiteer from unsuspecting motorists . I am utterly furious and will continue the fight . ' Mr Beavis 's action comes after the Daily Mail revealed how rogue firms are making millions of pounds from fines handed to motorists who overstay – sometimes for only a few minutes – in car parks at hospitals , railway stations and shopping centres . Cancer sufferers and patients whose treatments have over-run are among those who have been ripped off by the parking firms . Three judges unanimously dismissed his challenge at the Court of Appeal , saying the amount he was charged 'is not extravagant or unconscionable ' .
Barry Beavis took on private amusement park operators over ' unfair ' charges . 48-year - old tried to pay £ 85 fine that he thought was unjust . became ' furious ' after losing the landmark legal bid at the High Court . judges found the verdict was ' not extravagant or unconscionable '