How to Challenge Parking Tickets in London

The London Borough of Newham is widely known as the parking fine capital of the UK, issuing nearly a quarter of a million parking tickets over the space of a year. While many drivers opt to simply pay the fine and go on with their daily lives, some people feel that they were penalised wrongly and wish to challenge the ticket. However, many people do not even know where to begin with that process, or how. Fortunately, DoNotPay makes challenging parking tickets in London easy through the Parking Tickets UK product.

How to Pay a Parking Fine in London

The City of London's tickets all come with identification numbers that begin with CL. If your ticket identification does not begin with CL, then it was likely written by one of the other London boroughs. The London Council's Directory will help you determine the borough that issued you the ticket.

If the ticket begins with CL, it is a City of London parking ticket and can be paid in one of three ways:

1. By going online to the city's website to pay, view evidence or challenge a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). If you pay for your ticket early and online, you can receive a discount of up to 50%. Typically, this reduces a £130 fine to £65.
2. Pay by phone by calling 0330 088 3724.
3. By cheque or postal order by following the instructions on the ticket.

You can contact the City of London here.

What Happens if You Fail to Pay Your London Parking Fine?

When you are issued a parking ticket in London, you have 28 days to pay it or appeal the ticket. If you fail to respond to the PCN within that time frame, you not only lose your right to appeal the fine but also can incur additional costs and consequences, such as:

• A 50% increase in the cost of the ticket for paying it late.
• A negative impact on your credit rating.
• In some cases, the Court can even send bailiffs to your home to take your belongings.

Challenging London Parking Tickets on Your Own

It is possible to challenge a parking ticket in London through their online PCN website. Parking tickets are usually not issued without photographic evidence of the infraction, so it is important to view this evidence. You must provide the ticket identification number beginning with CL, list the reasons why you think your ticket should be cancelled and provide evidence you have that supports your challenge. Unfortunately, this can be difficult for those who do not understand the laws about parking tickets or the arguments that can be made against your ticket. Some of the common reasons for challenging a PCN in London include:

• You did not receive the parking notice within 14 days of parking.
• You were parked correctly and moved your car from the parking space within the time limit.
• The parking meter was broken and you had no way to pay.
• You were wrongfully charged for the higher band of parking offences. In most cases, parking fines cannot exceed £100.
• The parking signs were missing or unclear.
• Someone else was driving your car when the ticket was issued.
• Your car broke down and you were unable to move it from the spot.

How DoNotPay Can Help You Appeal London Parking Tickets

DoNotPay can help you avoid the hassle of challenging a London parking ticket by generating a challenge letter that you can use to fight the fine. We have successfully handled more than 200,000 parking tickets in the UK and New York, gaining widespread media recognition for the ease with which users can address parking tickets and other common problems.

Four Easy Steps to Fight Your Parking Ticket

If you'd like to fight your parking ticket hassle-free, simply follow these four easy steps:

1. Log-in to DoNotPay and go to the Ticket Disputes category. Select the Parking Ticket product.
2. Upload a photo of your citation.
3. Provide us with some details on why you believe the citation issued is a mistake.
4. That’s it! You’ll receive an appeal letter that contains the best argument to win your case.

We will generate a carefully worded appeal letter that you can use to fight your ticket.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

While parking tickets create cash flow for the local government, DoNotPay wants to help ensure that they do not wrongfully affect you. This is one of the many solutions DoNotPay can provide to help you save time and effort on daily tasks. Some of the other solutions we provide include:

• PCN Pay
• TFL PCN
• Learn how long can a PCN be issued after the offence.
• Islington PCN
• Birmingham PCN
• Dispute NYC Parking Tickets.
• Seattle Parking Tickets
• Chicago Parking Tickets
• San Jose Parking Tickets
• LA Parking Tickets

DoNotPay can also:

• Challenging Parking Tickets in the U.S.
• Car Registration Renewal
• Making an Insurance Claim
• Finding Missing Money
• Convincing the City to Make Repairs
• Getting Compensated for Your Airline Flight
• Negotiating the Terms of Your Car Lease
• Disputing a Seat Belt Ticket
• Filing a Complaint

Learn about additional ways DoNotPay can help you save time, effort and even money by signing up or signing in today.