Free Traffic Legal Advice
Live cases legal advice => Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on) => Topic started by: tawnyess on July 10, 2026, 11:31:28 pm
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Keep it short - there is only one thing to say.
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I am making representations that there is a procedural impropriety by the council.
No PCN was served on the car - the pouch on the windscreen was empty and contained no PCN.
Therefore the notice to owner cannot stand and must be cancelled.
I look forward to early confirmation of cancellation.
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Please have a read of my draft below and advise:
I am making a formal representation against the above Notice to Owner and respectfully request that the Penalty Charge Notice and Notice to Owner be cancelled.
The PCN was not present inside the yellow sleeve
When I returned to my vehicle, I found a yellow PCN sleeve attached to the windscreen. However, the actual Penalty Charge Notice was not inside the sleeve.
The sleeve was therefore present, but the document containing the details of the alleged penalty was missing.
As a result, I did not have the actual PCN available to me and was unable to properly consider the alleged contravention or make an informed decision about whether to pay or challenge the PCN within the original period.
The first substantive notice I received containing the penalty details was the subsequent Notice to Owner.
Request for clarification regarding service of the PCN
I understand that the Council will have a contemporaneous electronic record of the PCN issued by the Civil Enforcement Officer.
I therefore ask the Council to confirm:
The exact time at which the PCN was generated/printed by the CEO.
The exact method by which the Council records that the PCN was served.
Whether the CEO's contemporaneous notes specifically record that the actual PCN was placed inside the yellow sleeve.
Whether the CEO's equipment or system records the time at which the PCN was printed or issued.
Whether the CEO was equipped with body-worn video at the relevant time and, if so, whether the footage records the PCN being placed inside the sleeve.
If relevant body-worn video exists, I request that it be preserved and made available.
I am not disputing the photographs of the alleged contravention contained with the Notice to Owner. My representation concerns specifically the service and availability of the actual PCN, which was not present inside the yellow sleeve when I returned to my vehicle.
Loss of the opportunity to deal with the PCN at the discounted rate
Because the actual PCN was missing from the sleeve, I did not have the information contained on the PCN or the opportunity normally provided following service of an on-street PCN to consider the allegation and either make representations or pay the penalty at the discounted rate.
I subsequently received the Notice to Owner with an increased penalty.
I respectfully ask the Council to take these circumstances into account when considering whether it is appropriate and fair to pursue the increased penalty.
Request for cancellation
In the circumstances, I respectfully request that the Council exercise its discretion to cancel the PCN and Notice to Owner.
Alternatively, if the Council is not prepared to cancel the PCN, I ask that the Council exercise its discretion to restore the original discounted amount, given that the actual PCN was not present in the sleeve and I was consequently deprived of the normal opportunity to deal with the penalty at the discounted rate.
If this representation is rejected, I request that the Notice of Rejection specifically address the issue of the missing PCN and explain what contemporaneous record the Council relies upon to establish that the actual PCN was placed inside the yellow sleeve.
I look forward to your response.
Yours faithfully,
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The contravention is footway parking and it looks bang to rights.
But the PCN must have been served to enforce this.
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Being on those double-yellow lines is such a clear contravention that I think you will struggle to overturn this PCN at the adjudicators. However, council evidence at London Tribunals must include a copy of the PCN or they lose.
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The CEO pics show a served PCN or at least the packet so you may as well make reps saying it was empty.
(https://i.ibb.co/S4HxSCVQ/Screenshot-2026-08-17-at-20-39-36.png)
(https://i.ibb.co/8gDMrz3y/Screenshot-2026-08-17-at-20-39-55.png)
(https://i.ibb.co/Wvy5p7WQ/Screenshot-2026-08-17-at-20-39-46.png)
(https://i.ibb.co/1Y5MJYvf/Screenshot-2026-08-17-at-20-40-33.png)
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Please see attached NTO received today. If the officer had any body worn camera it will clearly show he did not put any ticket inside the yellow slip. Also, does that count as a footpath?
https://ibb.co/d0YGTS0d
https://ibb.co/bg4jnXDZ
https://ibb.co/SwJjzyxh
https://ibb.co/VYTkjj12
https://ibb.co/wNLQLwcv
https://ibb.co/Rp6kndQ2
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You could call the contact centre on 020 7364 5000 and ask for the PCN number - at least we can look at the pics and you can make an early challenge.
This may come down to your word the PCN was not served but they may concede after speaking to the CEO.
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Tower hamlets.
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What council?
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Thank you. Yes all up to date. Will be back when I recieve next notice.
Notice to Owner can only be sent after the 28 day period for payment on the original PCN. If it hasn't turned up about 10 days after that, than post here for advice.
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Thank you. Yes all up to date. Will be back when I recieve next notice.
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OK, no Regulation 9 PCN, (under the Traffic Management Act 2004), so no service of it. Keep the yellow envelope as you may need it later when appealing.
The next question is - are you the owner of the car, and hold the V5C Registration Certificate, (aka Logbook), and if so, is the name and address on it correct and up-to-date ?
Reason to ask, is that the next stage of the enforcement process is they will serve a Notice to Owner to the name and address on the V5C.
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I decided to quickly pop into the shops at 11pm. As I came out enforcment officer taking picture and as I ran back he said I already issued the ticket etc. yellow pcn was on my windscreen. I was having the usual go at him as he was walking off into his car (by the way he was parked on a zigzag?!). Anyway picked the ticket up and there’s no ticket inside?