Parking notices

These and the dubious paying online systems push you into not going to the theatre nor the shops etc etc where I live. Then they talk about the benefits of going out!

Parking Eye are the worst. According to stats (I read somewhere) only 10% of the cases referred to court find in their favour. Civil Enforcement are not the parking company but act on behalf of parking companies to issue charges.

HowVeryDareYou2 I’m a volunteer at a local theatre and often I’ve no access to the building to validate my registration, as there is an ANRP device there (I now know 🤬) I got 4, yes fucking 4 tickets! I appealed them and they were reduced. The company Civil Enforcement Ltd also has a debt collection agency (how do they live with themselves 😡) I always paid the reduced amount. Until one one PCNs was double charged. All the evidence in the world, bank statement etc and they wouldn’t have it, I was losing sleep over it so paid. But complained to MP and You & Yours on Radio 4. The industry is worth over 70 million a year. I would mind if it went to good causes rather than line dodgy arseholes pockets! 🤬🤬

As graphite says, they most definitely are enforceable.

Anyone who tells you they're not, or tells you to ignore, is a fool quite frankly, with no knowledge or understanding of the law.

There's swathes of evidence and precedents available on line to show what can happen if people choose to ignore these charges.

Parking Eye for example have issued in excess of 10000 claims against drivers.

eddiecat78

Perhaps I'm being thick but I don't understand. If the fines are not enforceable how are companies meant to limit the time people can park for?

The notices are enforceable through the civil courts.

As I wrote above, I ignored one thinking it wasn't enforceable and ended up with court papers. Though I lodged an appeal and it was accepted, the process was so slow I ended up with a CCJ. Once that happens you have to pay hundreds of pounds in admin charges to have the judgement removed.

Don't ignore them.

I had one few years ago which I ignored. I did get a solicitors letter with names of Wright Hassall, I figured they can't be serious with those names. Lol 😆

Perhaps I'm being thick but I don't understand. If the fines are not enforceable how are companies meant to limit the time people can park for?

Then there are the bus lanes. Poorly marked / worn out. Only a few yards long. Just used as a money making excercise for the local council.

In Scotland most folk ignore these. You may get letters threatening action but again they are ignored. Many use a defence if "sorry I may own the car, but I wasn't the driver" and it's the driver at fault. I have never had a parking notice but know plenty of folk who have and all been ignored.

We had one at Costco once. They give you 3 hours but we didn’t realise that. We took friends with us who had never been before and they were fascinated by everything. The place is huge so it took us a long time! Then we had something to eat and finally got petrol on the way out. We were so annoyed as we were spending money in their shop for the whole time! Stupidly we paid but wouldn’t do now that we are wiser!

Several of our local car parks give you 2 hours free if you put your reg in.
One time I did this and it wouldn't issue a free ticket saying I could only park there for free once in a day. I hadn't even taken the car out until then!

25Avalon

Debt collecting agencies cannot send bailiffs in as Martyn Lewis rightly says. They would need to get a court order. They have basically bought up your “debt” if I may phrase it thus to the parking company which you can prove is invalid. What they will do is send you umpteen threatening letters to frighten you into paying.. Do not pay and do not have any prolonged correspondence. Either contact POPLA or talk to Citizens Advice Bureau.

Thanks. I don't intend to pay. I haven't corresponded with the debt company or the parking company. No telephone calls, emails or anything. Stuff them all .

My son got one when he had just gone around another circuit in a car park looking for a space, never found one so went elsewhere, and we had to send in proof of his other parking ticket etc. Theyre getting ridiculous.🙄

Debt collecting agencies cannot send bailiffs in as Martyn Lewis rightly says. They would need to get a court order. They have basically bought up your “debt” if I may phrase it thus to the parking company which you can prove is invalid. What they will do is send you umpteen threatening letters to frighten you into paying.. Do not pay and do not have any prolonged correspondence. Either contact POPLA or talk to Citizens Advice Bureau.

With so many different companies operating car parks it can be very misleading if signage isn’t clearly displayed. There’s a car park in the town here and the signs are so high…….think lower edge at least 6 feet from the ground……..and the instructions are so small the signs are almost impossible to read! park at your peril springs to mind. Perhaps we should all take binoculars when we go shopping?

My son got one after he had sold the car despite registering it as a new owner! He didn’t have to pay, but it was a hassle.

Graphite

Are you sure?

You said you hadn’t “opened it up”. Technically then is the “offence” one of not showing the badge so it could be clearly read through the front windscreen?

This says that: The badge is intended for on-street parking only.

Off-street car parks, such as those provided by shopping centres, hospitals or supermarkets are covered by separate rules.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-blue-badge-scheme-rights-and-responsibilities-in-england/the-blue-badge-scheme-rights-and-responsibilities-in-england

This says:

While Blue Badges provide significant parking concessions on public roads managed by local councils, they offer no automatic privileges in private car parks. This includes:

• Supermarket car parks (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, etc.)
• Hospital parking facilities
• Shopping centre car parks
• Private business premises
• Airport parking areas
• Railway station car parks

www.bluebadgecompany.co.uk/blogs/blog/blue-badge-parking-rules-2025

Lodge an appeal in good time so you don’t end up in the situation I have.

There were no signs saying that disabled people weren't allowed to park there. There are 3 disabled bays specifically for disabled people. I put the badge on the window but didn't open it to show the time, as I knew I wouldn't be long - I only went into the shop for a gift card, nothing else.

I regularly park in Asda, Lidl and Aldi disabled bays, and have never had a problem.

I'll start an appeal. Thanks.

It’s not a fine but a charge. When you park in a private car park run by a parking company you enter into a contract with them. If you breach the terms and conditions then you will get a charge and if you don’t pay could ultimately end up in court. If you think the charge was wrongfully issued then take it up with POPLA which is a free service.

I would strongly urge you to use one of the template appeal letters that you can find on the parking charges websites. They cover exactly what will and won't be valid for the appeal procedure.

Are you sure?

You said you hadn’t “opened it up”. Technically then is the “offence” one of not showing the badge so it could be clearly read through the front windscreen?

This says that: The badge is intended for on-street parking only.

Off-street car parks, such as those provided by shopping centres, hospitals or supermarkets are covered by separate rules.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-blue-badge-scheme-rights-and-responsibilities-in-england/the-blue-badge-scheme-rights-and-responsibilities-in-england

This says:

While Blue Badges provide significant parking concessions on public roads managed by local councils, they offer no automatic privileges in private car parks. This includes:

• Supermarket car parks (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, etc.)
• Hospital parking facilities
• Shopping centre car parks
• Private business premises
• Airport parking areas
• Railway station car parks

www.bluebadgecompany.co.uk/blogs/blog/blue-badge-parking-rules-2025

Lodge an appeal in good time so you don’t end up in the situation I have.

MayBee70

M0nica

If someone owns the land and sets cconditions for you parking there, why shouldn't they penalise you when you trespass over that time.

Because they’re often quite sneaky about it…

That is an entirely different issue.

Thanks for all your replies. I'll have a think and possibly start an appeal tomorrow. I hadn't broken any rules of parking there, though.

HowVeryDareYou2

Has anyone ever had a parking notice - NOT the council or police, but a retail park? If so, did you pay it/liaise with the company/ignor it?

I have and did ignore it for some weeks but ended up with a County Court Judgement (CCJ).

The “offence” was last year in an almost empty out-of-town car park on private land. The fine progression was the same as yours.

I was just ten minutes over the time in a car park I had never been to before. Genuinely, I had not seen any parking notices. I had spent around £700 on new made-to-measure curtains, carpet and other items for a bedroom I had just had newly decorated. It had taken a long time to chose in different shops. After ordering the items, I had stopped for coffee. Had I known I was about to clock up a fine I would have forgone the coffee and left.

I believed the notice was unenforceable and ignored the letters until I received a court notice from H.M.Courts & Tribunals for £170 plus costs. At that point, I appealed.

My appeal, complete with receipts showing the times of the sale transactions, was lodged in plenty of time but HMC&T was so tardy in processing it that the CCJ was made anyway.

Now I’m stuck with it. Even though HMC&T accepted my appeal and quashed the fine I’m told I have to pay over £300 to have the CCJ removed from the records - which I am not prepared to do.

Fortunately, I shan’t ever need credit. My excellent credit score took a tumble as a result of the CCJ but is slowly climbing back to where it was and is now registering as very good.

My advice is to start the appeal process now.

M0nica

If someone owns the land and sets cconditions for you parking there, why shouldn't they penalise you when you trespass over that time.

Because they’re often quite sneaky about it…

HowVeryDareYou2

Has anyone ever had a parking notice - NOT the council or police, but a retail park? If so, did you pay it/liaise with the company/ignor it?

Yes. My partner had one. He spoke to the manager of the shop he had gone to. Took photos of the parking notices ( some were obscured by trees and the writing was too small to read anyway). And contacted the MP for that area. Turns out even the staff at the shop got fines occasionally. He didn’t pay.