Euro car parks/DCBL

Cally151090

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice regarding a Euro Car Parks parking charge that has suddenly resurfaced almost three years later.

Parking operator: Euro Car Parks
Location: JDW – The Golden Acorn, Glenrothes
Date of alleged contravention: 26/08/2023
Current amount demanded: £145
Debt collector: DCBL
I live in Scotland.

This is genuinely the first correspondence I have personally received about this parking charge. I have lived at the same address for around six years and the vehicle was registered at that address throughout my ownership, so I do not believe this is a case of me failing to update DVLA records. I no longer own the vehicle now, but I did at the time.

The first letter I received was a DCBL debt recovery letter in May 2026. I contacted DCBL and asked for copies of the original notices, the address they were sent to, photographs, and evidence. DCBL repeatedly sent generic responses and eventually said they would not enter into further correspondence.

I then contacted Euro Car Parks directly. They have now replied stating that:

* The vehicle entered at 12:55 and exited at 13:11 on 26/08/2023.
* The reason for the charge is that the full vehicle registration was allegedly not entered into the terminal inside the venue.
* A Notice to Keeper and a Final Notice were supposedly issued (their email confusingly refers to dates in 2026 even though the parking event was in 2023, which I have asked them to clarify).

I was a genuine customer at The Golden Acorn on that date. I was meeting a friend so my partner dropped me off and parked to get my wheelchair out the car and help me go in. I am also a Blue Badge holder and my Blue Badge is always displayed when parked. I do not remember being alerted by staff to enter the registration, although I appreciate that doesn’t mean a terminal wasn’t there.

Today I received a further DCBL letter headed “Final Notice of Intended Legal Action”. I phoned them but the person I spoke to was not helpful and would not let me speak to a manager.

My questions are:

1. Given that I live in Scotland, what is the best way to deal with this now?
2. Should I be making a formal Subject Access Request to obtain all the original notices and data they hold?
3. Is the additional amount they have added through debt collection likely to be recoverable?
4. Has anyone had success getting a Wetherspoons manager to request cancellation for a genuine customer?
5. What would you do next in my position?

I would have paid it if I received a fine initially but I never received any letters.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Woodstok2000

Have you identified the driver at any point? If not, you can safely ignore anything up to an official court notice (which will likely never come), as there's no keeper liability in Scotland.

Gr1pr

1 IGNORE THEM ( because its Scotland. )

2 no

3 no

4 plenty of people get pcns cancelled by businesses, landlords and landowners

5 ignore them ( never ever phone, nothing gets resolved that way, nothing ! )

Coupon-mad

"I would have paid it if I received a fine initially"

Don't be daft, of course you wouldn't. This isn't a fine and there's no keeper liability (yet) in Scotland.

"Is the additional amount they have added through debt collection likely to be recoverable?"

None of it is recoverable in Scotland from a registered keeper.

"I contacted DCBL"

"I then contacted Euro Car Parks"

Why on earth are you engaging with a scam?

Literally nobody pays these invoices. I don't know why you took it seriously.

Totally ignore it.

But be aware that Scotland will get 'keeper liability' next year sometime, copying the POFA, so keep an eye out for that enactment of the Transport Act and always come to this forum first.

We know the laws and we know all there is to know about private parking invoices and we are experts on the poor conduct of this rogue sector, with decades of experience.

The advice here will always be up to date.

You still won't 'have' to pay these but for new ones in future the advice in Scotland is likely to change to 'appeal'. But for this one - stop taking the bait!

Cally151090

Thank you. I received a letter titles final notice of intended legal action so I panicked and called. Thanka to your advice I won't contact them again!

Nellymoser

The only letter you respond to is a letter from a Scottish solicitor or Sheriff clerk, though it's not likely you'll find either of these coming through your letterbox.

But as said above keeper liability is coming to Scotland at some point in the future, when it does the ignore advice will change for pcns in Scotland.