Free Traffic Legal Advice
Live cases legal advice => Private parking tickets => Topic started by: autolycus on April 06, 2026, 05:05:15 pm
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Thanks @DWMB2.
Re the original PCN - no other correspondence has been received by the keeper. However, from having seen other Britannia PCNs (on here and in real life I know they are generally far from PoFA compliant.
If the keeper does not get a POPLA code, what happens? Can they take it to POPLA without one? If not, is it just a case of waiting to see what Britannia does next (plus talking to the Waitrose manager)?
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The document you have shared via Google Drive is not the original PCN, but is instead a reminder notice. Have you checked your post for any other correspondence?
To your questions:
- No, but as we have not seen the original PCN it is hard to advise on the strength of the keeper's position.
- If you have missed the appeal deadline, you will probably not get a POPLA code
- You could try appealing by post, but don't lie about the date. For hopefully obvious reasons, being dishonest when challenging an alleged debt can come back to bite you. You could quote the relevant section of the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice (there's a link in my signature) regarding operators accepting appeals that are 'out of time' where there are genuine reasons for it. Whether they'll consider not checking your post often due to staying at a different address I don't know - they could argue that if you cannot regularly access post at the address your car is registered at, you should change the address
- If you can, my starting point would be to go into the store and speak to the manager - be polite of course, you are after all appealing to their good nature. Then follow up by email.
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Hi,
Need some advice re a PCN where the appeal deadline has passed, please.
Background is as follows:
The driver parked at Waitrose - where the car park is free for customers and non-customers alike, with a max stay of 90 minutes. The driver did not shop at Waitrose that day (although is a regular customer there). It appears they may have stayed longer than 90 minutes.
The keeper has now received a PCN dated 2/3/26. They only collected it today as they have been staying away from home for the past few weeks. The 28 day appeal deadline has therefore passed.
The PCN is not PoFA compliant and the keeper therefore wishes to send the standard Britannia appeal. However, when going onto the website today, it gave this error: "Sorry, you have reached the maximum number of appeals for this PCN."
No previous appeal has been made so perhaps this is their way of saying the 28 days has passed?
So, my questions are:
1. Is the keeper's position weakened by having missed the appeal deadline?
2. What happens now in terms of getting a PoPLA code etc?
3. Is it worth sending a backdated appeal by post and hoping they will assume the Easter holidays delayed delivery?
4. Does anyone know the best email to use to ask Waitrose to cancel the PCN (both I and the keeper are also regular Waitrose customers)?
Thanks in advance!
PCN can be seen at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LX9wsUzClWX2b_I0EDWQ0oWtZhEB9M7B/view?usp=sharing