Northampton Railway Station Penalty Notice As Automated App Payment Didn't Work

ukixwoo

Hi. 

The driver parked in "Northampton Main" railway car park on 23/07/2025.  Despite being set-up on the "Trust" car parking app which is supposed to cover this car park and automatically pay the fees on exit, it failed to do so and a penalty notice dated 31/07/2025 has been received by the registered keeper from Saba Park Services Uk Limited.

Is that fact that the car in question was registered on the Trust app and should have been charged via that a valid reason for getting the notice cancelled please, and if so, what's the process to follow please?

Thanks. 

doubledotcom

You’ve received what Saba purports to be a “Penalty Notice” for an alleged breach of Railway Byelaw 14. Let’s be clear: this is not a lawful Penalty Notice in the statutory sense.

A genuine Penalty Notice under railway byelaws must be enforced via prosecution in the Magistrates’ Court under Byelaw 24(1). It cannot be “appealed” through POPLA or any private scheme. The mere offer of an appeal process is your first clue that this is not a statutory penalty but a civil demand masquerading as one.

Saba routinely undermines their own position by referencing a potential civil claim for breach of contract somewhere on the notice. That’s a fatal conflation. They cannot simultaneously claim a statutory breach under criminal law and threaten civil action for breach of contract. These are mutually exclusive legal frameworks.

What you’ve received is a Parking Charge Notice dressed up as a Penalty Notice—an unlawful hybrid designed to intimidate. It has no statutory backing and no lawful authority unless pursued through the courts. Personally, I treat these as attempted extortion under the Fraud Act 2006 and would not hesitate to report it to the police.

You are under no obligation to engage with their sham appeal process. If they believe a byelaw has been breached, they must prosecute. Anything less is bluff.

ukixwoo

doubledotcom said:

You’ve received what Saba purports to be a “Penalty Notice” for an alleged breach of Railway Byelaw 14. Let’s be clear: this is not a lawful Penalty Notice in the statutory sense.

A genuine Penalty Notice under railway byelaws must be enforced via prosecution in the Magistrates’ Court under Byelaw 24(1). It cannot be “appealed” through POPLA or any private scheme. The mere offer of an appeal process is your first clue that this is not a statutory penalty but a civil demand masquerading as one.

Saba routinely undermines their own position by referencing a potential civil claim for breach of contract somewhere on the notice. That’s a fatal conflation. They cannot simultaneously claim a statutory breach under criminal law and threaten civil action for breach of contract. These are mutually exclusive legal frameworks.

What you’ve received is a Parking Charge Notice dressed up as a Penalty Notice—an unlawful hybrid designed to intimidate. It has no statutory backing and no lawful authority unless pursued through the courts. Personally, I treat these as attempted extortion under the Fraud Act 2006 and would not hesitate to report it to the police.

You are under no obligation to engage with their sham appeal process. If they believe a byelaw has been breached, they must prosecute. Anything less is bluff.

Thanks. So the owner is safe to ignore it then ?

ukixwoo

This thread advises to appeal saying there's no keeper liability:-
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6560660/parking-charge-from-saba

ukixwoo

Any more advice please?  Should we ignore or appeal?

Coupon-mad

Either. Times out after 6 months anyway.

Is that fact that the car in question was registered on the Trust app and should have been charged via that a valid reason for getting the notice cancelled please, and if so, what's the process to follow please?

The process for appealing is different than most.  Here's a thread about SABA this week:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6624769/3-parking-parking-fines-railway-car-park-anpr-auto-renew-subscription-failure

kryten3000

Let me know if SABA try and morph this into a contractual charge. 

garyMorin

Trust parking app is a joke. My wife prepaid for parking at Northampton station 4 days ago for today on the Saba website. I got home tonight to find the Trust app has also taken payment. It appears there is no system communication between Saba and Trust app, who are they is it same company but different apps, are they competing companies? It's just stupid

ukixwoo

Hi

The driver appealed with some of the text found from here and on similar threads on the 27/08/2025. 

And received this reply on 23/09/2025:- 

"Good afternoon 

Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding the above Penalty Notice.

This notice was correctly issued in accordance with the Railway Byelaws, which apply to vehicles parked at this location. Under Byelaw 14, it is an offence to park without complying with the terms and conditions displayed on the signage. The Penalty Notice process provides an opportunity to discharge liability by payment of the stated amount, avoiding the need for any court proceedings.

To clarify:

The Penalty Notice is not a Parking Charge Notice issued under contract law. It is issued under statutory authority contained within the Railway Byelaws.

While only the Train Operating Company has the ability to commence prosecution in the Magistrates’ Court, they are entitled to engage agents, such as SABA, to administer and manage the process on their behalf.

References to recovery procedures are not misleading. Where the penalty remains unpaid, the matter may be referred back to the Train Operating Company for consideration of further action, which may include a prosecution under the Railway Byelaws.

The signage at the site makes clear the requirement to hold a valid permit or ticket, and the consequences of failing to comply. By parking otherwise than in accordance with the displayed terms, a breach of Byelaw 14 occurred and the notice was issued correctly."


Any further advice, or responses to their comments please?

They sound confident that they're in the right, but I guess they would. 

Thanks. 

kryten3000

They're lying.  ONLY the Train Operating Company can bring a prosecution.

Beware that this will be changing as the POFA is going to be amended to cover railway locations, but will not affect this charge notice.  

ukixwoo

kryten3000 said:

They're lying.  ONLY the Train Operating Company can bring a prosecution.

Beware that this will be changing as the POFA is going to be amended to cover railway locations, but will not affect this charge notice.  

Thanks.  So what should my next steps be?  Ignore?  Reply stating such?  

Any other suggestions from anyone please?