Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hi all,

I received a PCN from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK) on Tolworth Broadway on 23/05/2026.

The PCN says the vehicle was observed from 12:37 to 12:43 without payment of the parking charge. I later purchased parking through RingGo at 12:47.

My account of what happened is as follows:

I arrived at around 12:40, parked, and attempted to pay using RingGo. It was during the unusually hot weather/heatwave on 23 May 2026. News reports from that day state that the UK recorded its hottest day of the year so far and the first May temperature above 30°C since 2012. The same reports also mention amber heat-health alerts across parts of England, including London and the South East.

My phone was overheating / not operating properly, which delayed me from immediately completing the RingGo payment. There are no parking meters on that street anymore as far as I could see, so I had to use the phone/app payment method. I managed to complete the RingGo payment at 12:47.

I have checked the Kingston PCN evidence page and, unless I am missing something, I cannot see evidence showing my vehicle was continuously observed from 12:37 to 12:43. I can see that the PCN alleges those observation times, but I cannot see proof that the car was there from 12:37. My position is that I arrived around 12:40 and paid shortly afterwards. The first photo on the RBK website shows the first photo at 12:42

I have not yet submitted an appeal. I wanted to ask whether there is any realistic appeal point here, or whether this is likely to be treated simply as “payment was made after the PCN was issued”.

Points I am considering mentioning in an informal challenge:

1. I arrived at approximately 12:40, not 12:37.
2. I paid through RingGo at 12:47, shortly after arrival.
3. The short delay was due to difficulty using my phone/app during unusually hot weather, when my phone was overheating / not operating properly.
4. There were no street parking meters available as an alternative payment method.
5. The council evidence page does not appear to show proof of continuous observation from 12:37 to 12:43.
6. If they do not cancel, I would ask for the CEO’s notes, all photos, and evidence relied upon to show the vehicle was present throughout the observation period.

Please see below for both sides of the PCN. I also have screenshots showing I have valid parking via RingGo that I can upload here if required.

https://imgpile.com/p/2WFY9rD


Google Streetview is here:

Would you advise submitting an informal challenge on these facts, and if so, is there any particular wording or legal point I should use/avoid?

Thank you all!

So where were you when you paid?

Why did you park there?

Leaving the car unattended is a common reason we see for PCNs, and adjudicators are alert to people starting a session when they see a PCN was issued.

Are you saying the phone stopped working owing to heat? What model is it?

Any argument regarding your phone goes to mitigation. Yes, you can advance this to the council and hope they exercise discretion, but I suggest you be realistic about your chances. An adjudicator cannot consider mitigating circumstances.

As with any other situation, the council's reply is likely to be that if you don't have the wherewithal to comply(in this case pay) then you should park elsewhere where legal.

There is no time allowed to pay. CEOs will often observe to check if someone is in the process of paying but if you're not by the car or a ticket machine you are fair game as all they can see is a vehicle in contravention.

Yes, of course time is allowed by adjudicators to pay and to fetch a visitor's permit etc.

But each case turns on its facts and there is no grace period. It's true that authorities specify observation periods and here there were 6 minutes but whatever time only comes into play if there was reasonable process to obtain parking rights underway.

I expect the OP is thinking of the 10 min grace that does apply after the expiry of paid time.

Here we have an overheating phone - a first for us I think.

Tomorrow is the 14 day deadline in which to make an appeal to Kingston Council.

??

The 14-day period ends TODAY because day 1 was 25 May, the date of the contravention.

So, OP, you need to submit something by midnight !  They may accept a late submission, but are not legally obliged to.