Free Traffic Legal Advice
General discussion => The Flame Pit => Topic started by: Incandescent on August 03, 2026, 10:35:32 pm
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I suppose it may partly come down to the position as well.
If we say the number plate formats are usually:
LNNN LLL or LLNN LLL
Then if it was, for example, LO08 then it could be argued that follows the number plate format as L008. Where as if the error is in the last 3 letters then that is more of a mistake.
A lot of vehicle owners do have such knowledge but how would you know if you were a foreigner renting a car here, or the partner of an owner.
I supposed i've missed the point haven't I. We shouldn't be relying on the adjudicators. These should be getting cancelled at council level as a simple mistake, especially so where payment is made for parking.
Indeed they should, but councils just love the money too much. It's a nice little earner for them.
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I suppose it may partly come down to the position as well.
If we say the number plate formats are usually:
LNNN LLL or LLNN LLL
Then if it was, for example, LO08 then it could be argued that follows the number plate format as L008. Where as if the error is in the last 3 letters then that is more of a mistake.
A lot of vehicle owners do have such knowledge but how would you know if you were a foreigner renting a car here, or the partner of an owner.
I supposed i've missed the point haven't I. We shouldn't be relying on the adjudicators. These should be getting cancelled at council level as a simple mistake, especially so where payment is made for parking.
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With Kingston the provision is this one:
Subject to Articles 11 and 19, if at any time during which a vehicle is left in a payment parking place or bus (paid-for) parking place, or in a shared-use parking place without having had in respect of it registered a virtual visitors voucher or granted a permit or without displaying a valid hard-copy visitors voucher, during the permitted hours and no indication appears on a hand-held device that payment of the parking charge has been made in accordance with the provisions of Article 18(1), it shall be presumed that the parking charge has not been duly paid in respect of that vehicle.
A rebuttable presumption IMO. THE HHC is an indication which allows a PCN to be issued, but if it emerges subsequently that a permit was obtained then IMO this must be considered by an enforcement authority. Simply saying 'wrong VRM, tango sierra' is IMO improper.
A view.
But one shared it seems in the private sector with the following issued by POPLA(Parking on Private Land Appeals), the British Parking Association's 'independent' appeals service:
POPLA said...
If a motorist has made a simple error, such as transposing 0 for an O, parking operators are expected to identify this and not issue parking charges. If an operator does issue a parking charge, they should cancel it in full when a motorist appeals.
Do we now say nice things about POPLA or even worse things about councils??
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I suppose it may partly come down to the position as well.
If we say the number plate formats are usually:
LNNN LLL or LLNN LLL
Then if it was, for example, LO08 then it could be argued that follows the number plate format as L008. Where as if the error is in the last 3 letters then that is more of a mistake.
A lot of vehicle owners do have such knowledge but how would you know if you were a foreigner renting a car here, or the partner of an owner.
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I suppose it may partly come down to the position as well.
If we say the number plate formats are usually:
LNNN LLL or LLNN LLL
Then if it was, for example, LO08 then it could be argued that follows the number plate format as L008. Where as if the error is in the last 3 letters then that is more of a mistake.
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Each case turns on its facts but there are clearly different decisions reached in the same circumstances, which is annoying to say the least.
"Aleatory, Dr. Watson."
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There are a few adjudicators who sometimes allow this font typo (and also confusion with number 1) but also those who consider it mitigation that does not meet triviality or being misleading and refuse appeals.
Each case turns on its facts but there are clearly different decisions reached in the same circumstances, which is annoying to say the least.
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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ple7OJ94LbbPoGviuOHE75wR9JQj-F56/view
Plenty of others under Pay and Display on @cp8759 list.
https://bit.ly/2ALghSS
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At last something sensible on this issue, and actually quoting an online English dictionary, no less ! Although even this adjudicator seems ignorant of the mandatory font for number plates, where the number '0' is not shown for numbers to be used on car reg plates, the 'O' is used instead.
Well, he is Welsh so what do you expect? There are quite a few others actually...............
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At last something sensible on this issue, and actually quoting an online English dictionary, no less ! Although even this adjudicator seems ignorant of the mandatory font for number plates, where the number '0' is not shown for numbers to be used on car reg plates, the 'O' is used instead.