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Live cases legal advice => Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on) => Topic started by: GreyCar on March 04, 2026, 05:11:30 pm

Title: Re: Tower Hamlets - C Code 21 - inadequate signage
Post by: Incandescent on March 04, 2026, 11:25:08 pm

Your "appeal" was actually an 'informal challenge', and almost all of these are rejected by councils, as they know that if they do this, most people cough-up straightaway.

So you now have to wait for the Notice to Owner, (NtO), and submit the reps again, but if you care to post them here, we can maybe suggest improvements. At this stage the discount is lost, but many London councils re-offer it at this stage to avoid the PITA of having to prepare an evidence pack for London Tribunals, and to pay the tribunal fee.

At London Tribunals, there is no discount option, so you're in for the full £160.

The NtO is sent to the name and address on the V5C Registration Certificate so is the car yours and is the name and address on the V5C correct in all detail ?

Title: Re: Tower Hamlets - C Code 21 - inadequate signage
Post by: GreyCar on March 04, 2026, 10:14:02 pm

I'm willing to stand my ground, I usually employ the parking appeals for cases like this (no signage) but I already appealed because I would have assumed the enforcement officer had taken note of cars that were there BEFORE they replaced the parking suspension instructions.

My case is that I arrived at work early, saw a parking space despite there being a parking suspension sign, there was NO instruction as per their own government website (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/know-your-traffic-signs/on-street-parking-control-signs-and-road-markings). So Anyone would assume that the parking suspension was over as the suspension could have been for just 1 single bay on the far end. At no point was there any sign that the suspension would take up the whole strip of parking.

Do note that they still had the space to carry out their job, but they fined me anyway... Very gutted because I only parked there because I got to work early and usually other bays are free since parents take their kids to school. Funny enough one of the operators sent me the photo and was very sympathetic...

But yeah, their ridiculous response just sounds like a big 'F You Pay Me' and I'm meant to just suck up a whole days pay, the cost of 2 tires, a basket full of service parts, Return flights for a cheap getaway to a European country, all because someone ripped the sign off and they council didn't replace it in time for me to see... I have paid for a lot of tickets and fair enough those were my fault for not being diligent but this just isn't right.

I am kind of strapped for cash, and this is unfair and I'm happy to fight it. How can the council get away with this and punish me because they decided a measly piece of A4 paper that can be affected even by a bit of rain wasn't displayed at the time of parking. In my Newham borough they use a thick piece of plastic/ laminated paper to make sure that the sign stays put.

Title: Re: Tower Hamlets - C Code 21 - inadequate signage
Post by: Incandescent on March 04, 2026, 06:31:56 pm

Looks like the usual tosh of a Fob-Off letter, the usual response by London councils to informal challenges. The main question is this, are you prepared to stand your ground and take them to London Tribunals ?

Title: Tower Hamlets - C Code 21 - inadequate signage
Post by: GreyCar on March 04, 2026, 05:11:30 pm

Hello all,

first post here.
 
I made a couple of posts on reddit and was advised to come down this lane.

I parked in a suspended bay - there were no instructions...

I came back during my lunch break and walked past my car to see a ticket ( I work at Beatrice Tate School)

At the time of parking 08:15 there were no instructions on the yellow parking suspension sign - LINK GOV WEBISTE HERE (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/know-your-traffic-signs/on-street-parking-control-signs-and-road-markings)


if you scroll down on that web page you'll see that the parking suspension has instructions : from, until, location, purpose.
Since there were none of these present, I did not believe the parking suspension as valid, I did appeal but TH denied my appeal, response below;
"I have considered the mitigating circumstances you described in your letter however I must
inform you that when a bay is suspended, large and prominent yellow signs are erected
indicating that the parking place is suspended and vehicles may not park there."


apparently a large parking suspension sign with NO instructions means its still active, ill mention that I had a valid permit, AND there were still multiple cars there in the morning .


The AGENT that was working there sent me a timestamped photo of the sign being erected at 08:33, I was ticketed just 30minutes before I went on my lunch break, the work was still carried out so I wasn't actually in the way.I am in the process of getting my clock in time at the school from the receptionist.


Now that they have rejected my appeal, they said this: "If you are the owner or registered keeper of the vehicle and still wish to appeal against the PCN, you may do so by completing a Notice to Owner (NTO), which will be sent to you in
approximately 28 days."


REDDIT POST HERE (https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/1rixmlo/update_parking_on_suspended_bay_that_had/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)

please excused me for the formatting, I did try to add paragraphs.