My car wasn't parked where they said it was!

The_Gardening_Artist

Bit upset about this, so hoping someone will be able to tell me something/anything!!

Where I park every day for work, there are two roads running parallel to each other - they are Wilton Road and Wye Street. Each have 4 hours parking. So, every day without fail for the past 2 years I've parked in Wilton Road for 4 hours in the morning (9:00 till 1:00) and then moved my car to Wye Street for 4 hours in the afternoon (1:00 till 5:00). All well and good.

A few weeks ago I returned to my car to go home after work (so it was in Wye Street), to find I had been ticketed. The ticket says my car was observed from 9:40 till 2:00 in Wye Street - but I KNOW this is wrong, because I have NEVER EVER parked in Wye Street in the morning and as at 2:00 I had only been parked there for 1 hour.

I went to the Council offices and they made me fill out a form explaining the above, which I duly did, but today I got a letter saying, "Whilst you have mentioned that your vehicle had been parked in Wilton Road until 13:00, I can confirm that the CEO first noted yourt vehicle in Wye Street at 9:40. This is 2 minutes before he started to record vehicles parked in Wilton Road. Had your vehicle been parked in Wilton Road, the first observation time would have been much later." I'm not sure I understand this last comment.

I can't prove that I was parked where I said I was when I was, so it's my word against the CEO's. Any comments would be most welcome!

Coupon-mad

Have you got the 'Notice to Owner' yet?

Can you post up a scan of the PCN (front and back but without car ID) - as is asked for on all these threads about Council PCNs? This is so any experts can have a look and comment on anything wrong in the wording, even on the back.

Can you also post up any pictures of the bay where you parked, the lines & signs including the termination lines for both ends of the bay?

Also if I were you I would register and post about this on pepipoo.com (same scans & photos needed). They can help you devise your formal appeal.

Alx*27

So far you've made the informal appeal.

Wait for the Notice to Owner and appeal again ie. make Representations.

Simply seems a case of 'the contravention did not occur' for the reasons you've explained.

Request copies of the CEO's notes in their response.

Then take it to adjudication if they still refuse.

Swampmonster

Are there any CCTV cameras nearby with owners that may be able to help perhaps in return for a ' bottle of something for Christmas'?

Swampmonster

I've sent you a personal message.

Swampmonster

Dublindel

checking over 4 hors apart means you could have driven off anyway and returned later quite legally. also do wardens now need photographic evidence

The_Gardening_Artist

Thank you all for your helpful replies! Much appreciated :-)

Ok.

Coupon-Mad - I'm not sure what a 'Notice to Owner' is - I have received a letter in response to the initial statement I made - I quoted the relevant bit above. I will see what I can do about scanning the PCN. I don't think photos of the parking area would be helpful as it is just parallel parking along the side of each road and I'm not disputing that I was parked there. I will look up pepipoo.com. Thanks!

Alx27 - Thanks - I will ask for the CEO's notes when I write.

Swampmonster - There are no CCTV cameras that I'm aware of I'm afraid. Thanks for the PM.

Dublindel - I don't think photographic evidence is helpful in this case as I'm not disputing that I was parked there - just not at the time of the 'first observation'. I was parked there for the second observation, which i think is when they take the photo!

Thanks for your help guys - I will try to get a scan of the PCN if I can work out how to load it.

Markie11

Don't they have to take photographic evidence to prove it. Otherwise they could raise a PCN for any vehicle registration.

The_Gardening_Artist

Markie11 wrote: »

Don't they have to take photographic evidence to prove it. Otherwise they could raise a PCN for any vehicle registration.

I believe they only take a photo at the 'second observation' when they ticket you, which doesn't help me......my problem is that I wasn't parked there on the first observation - I moved from one 4 hour zone to the other inbetween...

Does anyone have advice about what I should put in the letter when I write back to the Council?

PS: tried to upload a scan of the ticket and it wouldn't have it - will try again on weekend.

biscuitdunker

Yes, a scan of the ticket, front and back would possibly help. Worth posting all this up on pepipoo too - http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?

underlay_guru

Are the council able to provide any photographic evidence that you WERE parked between those times??

If not, then I cannot see them winning here.