A driver has been sent a bill for £18,500 after she spent a year ignoring parking fines stuck to her windscreen.

Carly Mackie has been parking outside her garage in Dundee for more than a year and has ignored the fixed penalty notices she has received on an almost daily basis, wrongly believing she was entitled to park there.

But the 26-year-old has now been sent a formal letter from a private parking firm demanding she pay £18,500 to cover the cost of the dozens of parking tickets.

Carly Mackie has been sent a bill for £18,500 after she ignored parking fines for more than a year after she continually parked on cobbles outside her garage - wrongly believing she was entitled to park her Mini there

The firm said Miss Mackie has not challenged a single fine issued to her over more than a year and was not entitled to leave her car there because motorists are not allowed to park in covered passage ways, and also need a permit to leave their cars in the area.

Miss Mackie, who said she came to regard the daily tickets as an annoyance, has been parking her Mini on the cobbles outside her driveway for more than a year.

She said: 'We have a right to park in front of our own property. I've considered moving out. It just makes my life so hellish.

'I always make a point of parking in front of my own garage, where nobody else could park, and never parking on the double yellow lines on the road.'

But Vehicle Control Services Limited, which sent her the letter demanding money for the fine, said she is wrong and is not entitled to park in front of her garage.

A spokesman said: 'The site in question is covered by a contract that restricts use of the rear car park to permit holders only and prohibits motorists from parking in the covered vehicle access passage ways.

Miss Mackie said she believes she should be able to park outside her garage and is being unfairly penalised

But Vehicle Control Services Limited said she cannot park on the cobbles, and has been fined each time

'The terms and conditions are clearly displayed on prominent signs around the site.

'It is therefore not unreasonable to expect motorists to adhere to these terms and conditions by not parking in restricted areas and displaying a valid permit in the car park.

'Ms Mackie has constantly breached the terms and conditions of this contract by repeatedly parking in a restricted area/parking without displaying a valid permit.'

The company said every time Miss Mackie has parked in the area she has been issued with a ticket, and each time she received a ticket had the opportunity to appeal the fine.

But each time she failed to do so.

The spokesman said the fine is so high because they have also had find out the details of who owned the car to trace it back to Miss Mackie and demand the total parking fine be paid.

Ms Mackie came to regard the fines as an annoyance and discarded them, but the bill has now racked up

He added: 'In the absence of any contact from Ms Mackie coupled with the fact that she continues to contravene the terms and conditions of this site, which we are contractually bound to enforce, we have had no alternative but to initiate Court action via our Agents in Scotland, Gordon & Noble.'

Miss Mackie, who lives with her parents, said the situation has become so stressful she is considering moving house. She said she feels she has been targeted by the parking firm and believes other cars in the area have not been given tickets.