UPDATE:
couldnt figure out how to delete post but after going through the evidence from council again, there was a partial suspension sign on the lamp post, which was not there when I returned but I assume was there when I parked, it was raining and windy and I just didnt notice.
on this basis I assume they have a case and there is no point in me appealing on the grounds that the sign was not there when I parked.
Hi,
I’m writing to seek advice regarding a PCN I received for parking in a suspended bay.
On 03/10/2025 at 14:37, I parked a few houses down the road from where I live. I hold a valid parking permit for this street, so I did not think anything of parking there for a few hours. When I returned around 2–3 hours later, I moved the car back to my driveway. At that point, I noticed a yellow PCN pushed down between the bonnet and the windscreen (it was a stormy and rainy day).
The PCN was issued for parking in a suspended bay. I walked back to where I had parked and saw that another vehicle was now in that space. I also looked for suspension notices. There were some on the street, but they were around 30–40 yards away from the bay where I had parked, not adjacent to or within the bays themselves. picture links are below, in the backround parking suspension signs are visible, I did not look or go that way when parking.
I appealed on this basis and provided photographs. My initial appeal was rejected. I then asked the Council to prove that there was a suspension sign on or next to the bay I had parked in, as their own photograph only shows my car with a sign located 30–40 yards away.
I submitted formal representations at the end of November. I received a response by post on 15/01/2026. The Council rejected my representations, largely repeating the same reasons as before and not providing any new evidence that a suspension sign was actually present at the bay I used.
I am now preparing to take this to the independent adjudicator and would appreciate advice on my prospects. My main argument remains that there were no suspension signs on the bay I parked in on the day in question, and that the Council has provided no evidence to support their claim that there were.
For completeness, I did not mention in my representations that it was stormy on the day and that signs may have blown away, as I did not feel this was my responsibility or relevant to the core issue.
Do I have a reasonable chance of success on this basis?
https://ibb.co/gLTnY1rqhttps://ibb.co/fwhTb6C