CEL PCN - 9 min overstay after expiry - Rejection dated 1 month ago - POPLA advice?

popcornparrot

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on a PCN received from Civil Enforcement Ltd (CEL) at Greyfriars Car Park, Bedford. The operator has rejected the initial appeal, but I would appreciate a sanity check before heading to POPLA.

The Timeline:

• Arrival (ANPR): 13:05

• Payment via JustPark: 13:10 (Took 5 mins to find a bay and navigate the app – Consideration Period).

• Parking Expiry: 16:11

• Exit (ANPR): 16:20

• Total Overstay after expiry: 9 minutes.

The Rejection & Communication Delay: An appeal was originally attempted in November, but there were issues with the operator's verification system. On Dec 20th, the portal showed the appeal was "filled in" but had no status update.

Following a proactive email chase on Jan 4th, a response was finally received today (Jan 7th). Crucially, the attached rejection letter is dated 09/12/2025. It appears the operator sat on this for nearly a month, which has severely compressed the 28-day window for a POPLA appeal.

The Rejection Offer: The appeal was rejected for "exceeding the parking time paid for," but they have offered a "reduced sum" of £60 to settle now.

Defense Points:

1. BPA Code 13.2 (Grace Periods): The overstay was exactly 9 minutes (16:11 to 16:20). Per the BPA Code of Practice, operators must allow a minimum 10-minute grace period after a paid session ends. As the vehicle exited within 9 minutes, no contravention occurred.

2. Mitigating Circumstances: The driver attempted to leave before the 10-minute grace period expired, but the exit was momentarily blocked by another vehicle maneuvering, which added a couple of minutes to the ANPR exit time.

3. Consideration Period: The 5 minutes at the start (13:05 to 13:10) is a reasonable period to read signs and pay via the app.

Is there any reason to consider the £60 "discount," or is this a clear-cut win at POPLA based on the grace period rule? Also, should the 1-month delay in receiving the rejection letter be raised with POPLA as a procedural failure?

Thanks in advance!

Jame4ters

Don’t pay the £60.

Have a read of the Newbies thread 

Coupon-mad

You have until day 33 to use a POPLA code.

You can give it a go but don't expect to win and don't pay. Show us your draft.

You will never pay this invoice at any amount. Losing at POPLA doesn't matter

popcornparrot

Thank you for the comments. Apologies for not responding earlier,

Following up on my PCN with Civil Enforcement Ltd. I have just received the POPLA decision and it was Unsuccessful. I would appreciate some guidance on the next steps now that the debt recovery letters are arriving.

The Assessor's Decision (Matthew Woodhouse):

The assessor has used a very questionable logic. He acknowledged that my overstay after the paid session was only 9 minutes (16:11 to 16:20), but he then added the 5-minute "consideration period" from the start of the session to the total.

The Quote:

"The consideration period... is for motorists to leave the site if they decide not to park onsite. As the appellant decided to park onsite, the consideration period didn’t apply... The appellant was onsite for 14 minutes longer than they paid for, therefore they exceeded the 10-minute grace period."

It appears

1. BPA Code 13.1 vs 13.3: The assessor seems to think Section 13.1 (Consideration) vanishes if you park. My understanding from the Newbies thread is that 13.1 is mandatory to allow for reading the contract, and 13.3 is a separate mandatory 10-minute buffer at the end. He has merged them to manufacture a 14-minute "overstay."

2. Procedural Breach: CEL sent me a "Final Notice" while the POPLA appeal was still pending. I reported this to POPLA, but the assessor completely ignored it in the final report.

3. The Wait: The decision took over 8 weeks to arrive.

Next Steps?

I have no intention of paying this £100 invoice based on such a flawed interpretation of the Grace Period.

Any advice from the regulars would be greatly appreciated!

Gr1pr

Do not pay

Ignore the powerless debt collectors letters

Respond To any Letter of Claim giving you 30 days notice, from either CEL or their lawyers

Respond to any Money Claim N1SDT pack from the CNBC in Northampton using MCOL

popcornparrot

Hi everyone,

I’ve been away on holiday, so I’m just catching up on the paperwork. As mentioned before, my POPLA appeal against Civil Enforcement Ltd was Unsuccessful. I’m looking for advice on how to handle the debt collection letters that have arrived while I was away.

The

Letters received while away:

1. Letter 1 (Dated 18/02/2026): A "Final Notice" received before the POPLA decision was even made. It stated the debt was overdue while the appeal was still "Pending." I emailed them at the time to tell them the case was on hold, but they ignored it.
2. Letter 2 (Dated 16/03/2026): A demand for £100 following the POPLA loss, threatening referral to debt collectors if not paid within 28days.

Any advice on how to respond?

Screenshot 2026-04-05 at 08.34.23.png

James_Poisson

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81950570#Comment_81950570

Sorry but did you not read @Gr1pr post above?

Car1980

Yes, you don't respond.

popcornparrot

@James _Poisson @Car1980 Thanks for the bluntness, I needed the reality check. I’ve read the Newbies thread again and I'm following the 'ignore debt collectors' logic.

My main worry as a young man (just 30s) is the mortgage factor. I’ve never dealt with 'legal action' before. Could you just confirm: if I wait for the actual LBC/Claim Pack and then defend it (or even lose and pay), am I correct that as long as it's settled within 30 days of a judgment, it never touches my credit file?

Also, to clarify on the 'Letter Before Action' I received—it was sent on 18/02/2026, but the POPLA decision didn't come out until 12/03/2026. Does CEL jumping the gun while the case was 'Pending' give me extra leverage for an 'Abuse of Process' argument if they do try a claim?

Le_Kirk

 am I correct that as long as it's settled within 30 days of a judgment, it never touches my credit file?

You are correct. You need to look at the Code of Practice for the parking company and that for whichever trade association they belong to see what "their" rules say about procedures and if they have "jumped the gun" or not.

Coupon-mad

Civil Enforcement lost their Head of Legal over the New Year and we haven't seen them send anyone to appear at hearing since.

They are discontinuing claims.

And if they send the case to DCB Legal, the outcome is the same. Discontinuance.

It is just a matter of playing the game, opening every letter (only reacting to a LBC or Claim Form) and telling them if you move house. No CCJ is risked here.