Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hi All,

I received a PCN from Barking and Dagenham Council for taking a left turn where prohibiyed, which I initially contested as I was following maps and did not realise the turn, nor do I have any memory of it. However, my defense was declined. I did not receive their response within 14 days, likely due to delays caused by my change of address and the forwarding of mail to my new address. As a result, I emailed the council requesting they honor the discounted charge of £65 instead of £130, I received no response.

Subsequently, I received another letter notifying me that the charge had increased to £195. I find this unreasonable, as I had every intention of paying the initial fine but was hindered by circumstances beyond my control. Despite being in communication with the council, my emails were ignored, and the charge was increased.

I believe the £195 charge is disproportionate to the offense, especially given that I made an effort to address the situation in good faith. I am now unsure of how to proceed. Should I ignore the charge and allow it to escalate to court, or is there another course of action you would recommend? Please advise.

Thanks @stamfordman

The date of the notice was 2/10/24
the amount had been increased to £130 when I got the rejection dated 5/11/2024.
I responded online with the below -

Thank you for your response regarding the challenge. I would like to note that I only received the letter on 28/11/2024, despite it being dated 5/11/2024.

The evidence provided shows a restriction dated 2022. Could you please provide a current photo of the sign as of 2024? I have also attached a screenshot of my journey on the day, which shows that Google Maps directed me to take the turn to avoid traffic on the A13. No restriction was indicated on the app, nor did I see any signage on the day of the contravention.

I would also appreciate it if you could respond via email, as there seems to be a delay with postal correspondence, which is not ideal given the time restrictions for addressing the PCN.'
i then responded

and I received a letter for the further increase a couple of days after but I cannot seem to find that letter.

I then received a letter 03/12/24 stating they will no longer respond to any correspondence

and a following letter 01/01/25 attached asking to pay the £195. Its past 7 days but it still shows the option to pay online, is it worth taking to court as I responded to each letter when received.

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