Free Traffic Legal Advice
Live cases legal advice => Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on) => Topic started by: beansprout on April 24, 2026, 05:13:03 pm
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Well, not a bad outcome, I think. However, what is scanalous and so typical of this benighted kingdom, is that councils are allowed to create their own definition of what is a low emission vehicle. There needs to be a nationwide standard for all CAZs,but with this supine government and parliament, I dont suppose there will be any changes.
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Quick update, they responded on the 18th May rejecting the appeals but accepting payment of the original £9 charge for all the PCNs.
I’ve now paid the 150 odd quid and all the cases are closed
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Ok, 17 appeals submitted. Such a pain filling in the web forms over and over again..
Fingers crossed..
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Paying closes the case, and cancels the option to take the matter to adjudication. That is my understanding, anyway.
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Ok, I’ve had a response from Bristol and they’ve sent over a list of 17 (!) PCNs, from 27/03/26 to 17/04/26
One thing I was wondering is if I should pay the charges regardless of the appeal, seeing as the amount paid will be refunded if the appeal is upheld.. am I right here?
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I agree re the Regs, but as this is out of step with other legislation(and the Google overview, but this can be wrong) I thought the gap had been filled by guidance.
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As far as I'm aware, there's a 28-day limit on service of a CAZ PCN, therefore as yours was served on 27th April which was 32 days after the day on which the contravention occurred IMO it's out of time and no penalty is due.
If one of the limited exceptions to the 28-day rule applies, it's for the authority to prove.
Wait for others.
I don't think there is any limit, other than fairness. Certainly I can find nothing in here: -
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1783/contents/made
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As far as I'm aware, there's a 28-day limit on service of a CAZ PCN, therefore as yours was served on 27th April which was 32 days after the day on which the contravention occurred IMO it's out of time and no penalty is due.
If one of the limited exceptions to the 28-day rule applies, it's for the authority to prove.
Wait for others.
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Here's the first PCN:
https://ibb.co/album/X2Hv4X
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Hey tincombe
On 24 April you posted: 'I’m going to Canada for 5 months in two weeks time.'
Where are you now?
I am now in Canada
You also posted that you had actually received only one PCN and speculated that as you had driven in the zone regularly more would follow. But in all your subsequent posts you've not referred to receiving any. You also refer to using a family member's address for DVLA purposes which IMO flags up another issue.
11 more PCNs have arrived. I'm currently waiting for Monday to be able to call the Bristol CAZ hotline and ask them for all the PCN numbers to make sure I don't miss any. What is this other issue you allude to?
Also you posted in your draft: Because of the slowness of the system and the time it takes to process and post PCNs, I did not receive the very first notice until approximately a month after my first entry into the zone.
As you're hoping for their discretion, I would tone down this point. Also, it is very, very unusual for what you claim to be the case unless the vehicle concerned was hired or leased. But this would be unlikely for a car of your age. The applicable date for service is 2 working days after posting, not when it's forwarded by a family member.
Sorry if I wasn't clear. The details of the first PCN, to illustrate the timeline:
Date of detection:
27/03/26.
Date charge was due:
02/04/26.
Date of notice / date of posting:
23/04/26.
Date of service (2 working days after):
27/04/26.
So the date of service is a month after the alleged detection. Nothing to do with any subsequent forwarding etc. I'm aware that all that matters is date of service.
Maybe I should reword my appeal to say "I was only served the notice a month after entry into the zone" rather than "I only received.."
We haven't seen any PCNs or timelines, which we would normally check for procedural compliance. As far as I can see, you told us the latest date for reps for PCN 1, let's hope your calcs are correct.
I'll upload images I have of the first PCN. I haven't managed to get copies of the other notices yet.
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[edit: I am viewing the forum from abroad and have noticed that sometimes images are not loading, therefore if you have posted these please see my comments in this context]
Your posts are confusing.
On 24 April you posted: 'I’m going to Canada for 5 months in two weeks time.'
Where are you now?
You also posted that you had actually received only one PCN and speculated that as you had driven in the zone regularly more would follow. But in all your subsequent posts you've not referred to receiving any. You also refer to using a family member's address for DVLA purposes which IMO flags up another issue.
Also you posted in your draft: Because of the slowness of the system and the time it takes to process and post PCNs, I did not receive the very first notice until approximately a month after my first entry into the zone.
As you're hoping for their discretion, I would tone down this point. Also, it is very, very unusual for what you claim to be the case unless the vehicle concerned was hired or leased. But this would be unlikely for a car of your age. The applicable date for service is 2 working days after posting, not when it's forwarded by a family member.
We haven't seen any PCNs or timelines, which we would normally check for procedural compliance. As far as I can see, you told us the latest date for reps for PCN 1, let's hope your calcs are correct.
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Looks reasonable to me, let's hope Bristol are also reasonable ! I would also recommend you start a parallel track with your local councillor on the operation of this scheme. It surely cannot be right that Bristol impose a completely different emissions standard to London. Of course this is typical madness of Britain 2026.
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So I paid the £75 to get a Certificate of Conformity from Toyota. Unfortunately it just had the same details as my V5C, NOx emissions of just above the Euro 4 standard.
I’m planning on sending an appeal of something along the lines of the following. Would really appreciate any comments or suggestions before I send it off!
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to formally appeal the above-listed Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued for driving within the Bristol Clean Air Zone (CAZ). While I acknowledge that the vehicle was driven in the zone, I kindly ask the Council to consider the significant mitigating circumstances surrounding these contraventions and to exercise its discretion in this matter.
1. Honest Mistake and ULEZ Exemption Discrepancy
My vehicle is a 2002 Toyota Yaris Verso Petrol. I was under the genuine and honest belief that my vehicle was exempt from the Bristol CAZ because it is officially recognised as compliant and exempt from charges in the London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). (I have attached proof of my vehicle’s ULEZ compliance for your reference). Because these schemes share similar environmental goals, I understandably assumed that a vehicle permitted freely in the London ULEZ would meet the national framework standards for Clean Air Zones. The discrepancy between the two schemes caused genuine confusion and led directly to this honest mistake.
2. Multiple PCNs Accrued Before First Notification
Because of the slowness of the system and the time it takes to process and post PCNs, I did not receive the very first notice until approximately a month after my first entry into the zone. During those weeks, I continued to drive in the zone completely unaware that I was committing a contravention or accruing charges.
3. Immediate Corrective Action Taken
As soon as the very first PCN landed on my doormat and I was alerted to my error, I took immediate corrective action. I immediately paid any daily CAZ fees that were still within the payable time window to prevent further fines, and I completely ceased driving my vehicle within the Bristol CAZ. Had I been notified by the Council immediately after my first entry, none of the subsequent contraventions would have occurred. I submit that these ~13 PCNs should be viewed as a single, ongoing misunderstanding rather than a deliberate flouting of the rules.
4. Disproportionate Penalties
The cumulative total being demanded for these PCNs is an extortionate amount of money that I simply cannot afford, and enforcing them will cause me severe financial hardship. I am respectfully asking for leniency, as penalising a driver with roughly a dozen fines for an honest mistake made before a single warning was received is highly punitive and disproportionate.
I acted in good faith at all times, and I rectified my behaviour the very day I was made aware of the issue. Therefore, I respectfully request that the Council exercises its discretion to cancel these PCNs.
Yours faithfully,
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Yep, will make sure not to miss any appeal deadlines.
The deadline for the first PCN is 23rd May
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I’ve contacted Toyota’s homologation department to request a certificate of conformity. Fingers crossed that gets me what I need to convince them. It does have a wait time of 10-15 days though..
I guess I wait for that to come through before submitting any appeals?
No, you mustn't miss any deadline on the PCN or it's game over. Best to submit something and say that you will be sending the homologation certificate of conformity for your car, but it takes 10-15 days, so request the PCN is put on hold until you submit copies.
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I’ve contacted Toyota’s homologation department to request a certificate of conformity. Fingers crossed that gets me what I need to convince them. It does have a wait time of 10-15 days though..
I guess I wait for that to come through before submitting any appeals?
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Then IMO you should include with your reps against the PCN the following:
The authority should note that you will be moving to Canada on *** for an indeterminate period. All correspondence initiated after ** May* to the following address:
Your name
*****
CANADA
They would be obliged to comply with this instruction which would be enough to put them off IMO if accompanied by reps which focus on your account i.e. being clear for ULEZ. If they did not, then IMO this would be improper.
* - this date should count back two working days for service. For example, if you were to move on Mon. 18 May then the effective date would be Thur. 14th May(Sat and Sun are excluded in the calculation).
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The checker says charge is applicable for Bristol and Birmingham.
I’m going to Canada for 5 months in two weeks time.
I should be able to get the PCN numbers as they are issued by calling or emailing.
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What answer do you get with this: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/streets-travel/bristols-caz/charges-and-vehicle-checker
Pl post the PCN.
When will you be moving to Canada and for how long?
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I’ve just called the clean air zone team and they said they would open a ticket and they would be in touch if they need more evidence or information. Supposedly even if the log book says 0.09 it could still be exempt? All very confusing
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It’s a 2002 Toyota Yaris Verso petrol that I bought as part of the scrappage scheme to become exempt from ULEZ (and is definitely ULEZ exempt in the TFL database)
From my understanding exemption is generally based on Euro 4 standard, but that didn’t exist before 2006, but they manually whitelist some older vehicles in their database.
My V5C lists emissions that seem to be slightly higher than the euro 4 standard: CO 1.02, HC 0.12, NOx 0.09
The important value being NOx, the euro 4 standard being 0.08 I think? So on that basis it should not even be ulez compliant?
Very confusing, and maybe at least a reasonable basis for appeal?
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What vehicle? CAZ and ULEZ should be the same.
They are.
When you enter your reg number into Bristol's CAZ checker, what does it come back with?
Ditto London's ULEZ.
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What vehicle? CAZ and ULEZ should be the same. Have you put on or removed a cherished plate recently?
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If you're moving to Canada, I think you can safely ignore them because they cannot enforce in Canada
Only temporarily..
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If you're moving to Canada, I think you can safely ignore them because they cannot enforce in Canada
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Wow, looks like I really screwed up. Assumed ULEZ compliant meant CAZ compliant.
I'm guessing I have dozens of unpaid CAZ days.
Would really appreciate some help?
Is the course of action:
1. pay any days still payable
2. appeal based on not realising vehicle was non-compliant, and only being made aware of the non-compliance a month after first entering the CAZ.
Do I call them?
Do I have to appeal to each PCN individually as they come through? My mail goes to a family address and they're about to go on holiday.. and I'm about to move to Canada. Having PCNs trickling in for the next month that I need to deal with is going to be an absolute nightmare!
Cheers..