Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hello all,

First time posting so apologies if I mis-format something or don’t upload correctly. I appreciate that such an excellent resource exists.

Over the Christmas period whilst visiting family, I planned to meet up with a friend to play squash at Hanworth. I travelled down on December 28th arriving around arriving around 15:30. I logged the free parking session via the pay by phone app, putting down two hours, however the app automatically extended this to the 08:30 the next morning. However, we found out the leisure centre closes at 16:00 due to shortened Winter operating hours (could not find this information online). After a 30 minute walk around the area I then left just before 16:00.

I traveled back down the next day arriving just before 10:00. I entered a 2-hour parking session which the app automatically extended to a 3-hour parking session. After finishing the squash game, I was leaving when I found a PCN on my windshield. I managed to flag down the parking officer who helped me figure out it was a typo on the reg “VOO6 ZGK” instead of “VO06 ZGK”, a letter O instead of a zero. Curiously, he was not able to find a parking session for either reg. I screen-shotted the app as proof I had otherwise entered the details correctly and still had a valid parking session at the time of the PCN. He entered notes on his PDA to record our interaction and findings as well as his advise to appeal.

PCN - https://cdn.imgpile.com/f/RuymSaK_xl.jpg

I challenged the PCN the same day, contents below:

Dear London Borough of Hounslow,

I would like to appeal this PCN on the grounds that I had an issue with the parking app (Pay By Phone). The application had accepted my registration as VOO6ZGK rather than VO06ZGK, the third character being an O when it should be a 0. Otherwise, I had logged the parking as per the signs with the correct location. I managed to speak to the parking officer who issued the PCN. I demonstrated my proof of parking on the app (screenshot attached), still within the parking period, just after he had issued the ticket. Together, we identified the issue being the single wrong character on the registration in the app. He advised me to appeal and had made notes on his device to record the details of this interaction.

Uploaded Evidence:
25-12-29 Proof Of Parking.jpg (https://cdn.imgpile.com/f/RYSI92m_xl.jpg)

Today I received the following response:
Page 1 - https://cdn.imgpile.com/f/BhAP3Nj_xl.png
Page 2 - https://cdn.imgpile.com/f/5LnJDzg_xl.png

I’m looking for advice to see if it is worth challenging this PCN further.

I accept it is my fault for mis-typing the reg, this reg has been in the app for years so the typo must have been present for some time. I also realise it is was not thorough of me to make sure the parking session from the previous day entered that day.

However, the response claims I was there from 15:27pm on December 28th till 12:51 on December 29th which is factually untrue! And reading some of the other PCNs received due to mis-typing an O instead of an 0, I think the PCN would have been cancelled otherwise. I did also spot that the response states a maximum parking time of 3-hours but on the large sign it shows a max of 4-hours?

Any advice and wisdom is much appreciated.

Thank you.

Two points.

You can't pay for something that is free (this is 3 hours free?).

It's pot luck on the 0/O issue - some adjudicators tell the councils where to go but some don't.

This from yesterday.

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Case reference   225043512A
Appellant   Florence Blatchley
Authority   London Borough of Haringey
VRM   LL67XOX
   
PCN Details
PCN   ZN16286104
Contravention date   28 Mar 2025
Contravention time   13:39:00
Contravention location   Frome Road
Penalty amount   GBP 130.00
Contravention   Parked resident/shared use without a valid permit
   
Referral date   -
   
Decision Date   08 Jan 2026
Adjudicator   Martin Hoare
Appeal decision   Appeal allowed
Direction   cancel the Penalty Charge Notice.
Reasons   Neither party attended this video appeal hearing.
Ms Blatchley submitted ‘I did pay for parking using RingGo and made a genuine effort to follow the rules. However, the vehicle registration was mistakenly entered as LL67X0X instead of LL67XOX due to a small input error over the phone. This was not intentional, and payment was made for the correct location and time. Additionally, RingGo usually saves and prompts you to repark the same vehicle, so I believed the correct details were in use. I respectfully request that this be considered a minor error made in good faith.’
Ms Blatchley provided a receipt.
The Council accepts that the said mistake solely caused the alleged contravention. It received payment.
This is a trifling mistake. The law is not concerned with a trifle.
Further,’ 0’ and ‘o’ are used interchangeably in the English language. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/o
‘o
/ əʊ /
noun
1.   the 15th letter and fourth vowel of the modern English alphabet
2.   any of several speech sounds represented by this letter, in English as in code, pot, cow, move, or form
3.   another name for nought’.
The appeal is allowed.