England - Can employer take parking fine out of wages?

In May 2026 I received a copy parking charge via email from my employer for an alleged infringement that happened in January. The reason given was “driver observed leaving site whilst vehicle remained parked on the premises.”

Because the car is owned by my employer, the original notice went to them and because they didn’t pass it on to me for several months, by the time I received it, the appeal window had already passed.

I have evidence that I made a purchase in the shop on the day in question, and the parking company’s “evidence” is just two photos of my car in the car park plus a copy of the parking notice, there’s nothing showing me actually leaving the site. If I’d been told about it when the company first received the notice, I think I would have had a good chance of challenging it or getting the shop to cancel it.

I’ve been in discussions about how unfair this is due to their incompetence but they’re insisting I have to pay the fine. The charge has now been passed to solicitors and has reached £400, with threats of a CCJ if it isn’t paid. My employer has now told me to pay it or they will deduct it from my wages. Can they do this?

Just as further example of their incompetence, alongside the scanned documents of the parking charge they finally sent, they also somehow included a copy of a patient’s invoice for treatment. Would I be out of order to tell them if they take the fine out of my wages I’ll be reporting them to the ICO?