Free Traffic Legal Advice

Live cases legal advice => Private parking tickets => Topic started by: SweetMeadow on September 13, 2025, 09:59:00 am

Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: InterCity125 on November 01, 2025, 08:15:52 am
This one is also very good as the OP goes to great lengths to explain the various processes which he or she goes through;


https://nationalconsumerservice.co.uk/topic/468850-vcs-cnntk-appealed-paploc-now-claimform-no-stopping-bristol-airport-claim-dismissed/#comments
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: b789 on October 30, 2025, 07:05:07 pm
FYI, here is a successful defence with costs awarded against VCS for exactly the same allegation:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6635565/bristol-airport-no-stopping-fine-case-success-and-724-cost-dcb-legal/p1
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: b789 on October 01, 2025, 07:56:37 pm
How much authority in law do you imagine if I stick a sign up that says you must pay me £100 if you park within 100m of this sign on a Tuesday and your car is not red in colour, I would have? Who cars what the 'customer relations' team at Bristol Airport have to say? They are not fully aware of the legalities of contractual signage and airport byelaws for Keeper liability.

I can tell you that they would not let this go near an actual hearing in front of a judge. They do not have a legal leg to stand on if you are following our advice.

I don't want to be repetitive but I have already told you that they rely on your gullibility, fear and ignorance of the law and your rights to try and intimidate you into paying up. You should not and be prepared to call their bluff and let them issue their claim, which has a less than 0.1% of succeeding.
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: SweetMeadow on October 01, 2025, 03:07:08 pm
B789 thank you so much. I also received feedback from the customer relations team at Bristol Airport who liased this case with VCS Ltd. There response was, 'we are parked on red lines, not far from a no stopping sign' which states that any contravention of this incurs the £100 charge.
VCS Ltd refuse to allow me to email. Although I have sent litigation an email too.
They seem to think they don't have to charge the driver, just show the court evidence we are parked on red lines near a stop sign.
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: b789 on October 01, 2025, 02:39:01 pm
Has the drivers identity been admitted? If not, why on earth would you pay a speculative invoice from an unregulated private parking company for an alleged breach of contract by the driver (who is unknown to them)?

Do you not understand that because the alleged contravention is on land that is not relevant for the purposes of PoFA, they cannot pursue the Keeper. They can only pursue the driver and as long as the driver has not been identified, they have absolutely nowhere to go with this. They are simply hoping that you are low-hanging fruit on the gullible tree who can be intimidated into paying up out of ignorance and fear.

You can bet that if/when they try to litigate this, they will eventually have their case struck out or will discontinue. They only go that far in the hope you are gullible enough to pay up.

The law is very clear. There is no legal obligation on the Keeper to identify a driver to the an unregulated private parking firm. They can't assume or infer that the Keeper must be the driver. There is very persuasive appellate case law that clarifies that without evidence of the drivers identity, there can be no case to answer for the Keeper.
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: SweetMeadow on October 01, 2025, 10:37:03 am
Morning Everyone,

I hope you are all keeping well.

Having sent my appeal email this is the response I received today. So in other words they will not allow me to appeal via email, and as we all know the online has a drop down list which frankly is worded for entrapment, so whatever option you choose, they can say well this doesn’t warrant an appeal.

Recently as well on a separate issue I was stung by my long standing Insurance company who sent an assessor out to look at our main house water leak and he spotted I have a therapy shed in the garden. One thing led to another and I got cancelled. It was quite stressful and I don’t particularly want more threats with this parking outfit, but any advice from you lovely folk is always very much appreciated, the deadline is tomorrow and I am tempted to pay the reduced rate, but they may now not accept that as I have put an appeal email, but then as you see below they aren’t accepting it via email.

Curious too at the footer it says Excel Parking Services?



Dear Sir/Madam

This is an automated acknowledgement to your CORRESPONDENCE regarding either a MyParkingCharge notification or Parking Charge Notice.

If you are contacting us relating to an appeal regarding a document titled 'MyParkingCharge' (MPC) issued to a vehicle or, a Parking Charge Notice/Charge Notice issued through the post where and the Serial No. commences with VCS or EPS, or commences CS and the date of the contravention is on or after 13-Dec-2016, it is important that you follow the appeal procedure set out on the notification you have received. Where the appeal procedure makes reference to www.myparkingcharge.co.uk it is important that you appeal via the website and follow the instructions online. We will not accept any correspondence regarding an appeal relating to the above via this email address.

Please note, you will need the Serial No. that commences with VCS, EPS or CS, as well as the Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM) to enable you to view the recorded details. Once entered, you will be able to view the information in connection with the recorded contravention.

If you decide to exercise your right to appeal, it must be submitted online at www.myparkingcharge.co.uk and following the instructions given.

If you are contacting us regarding a Notice where the Serial No. commences with VC or XL, or commences CS AND the date of the contravention is before 13-Dec-2016, you MUST ensure the following information is disclosed in order for your correspondence to be processsed.

1. As applicable, either the driver’s or the keeper’s name (including Title, Forename and Surname) and their full serviceable postal address.
2. If you are appealing on behalf of the driver or the keeper, you must include a written statement signed by the driver or keeper confirming that you are authorised to act on their behalf together with your name and full postal address.
3. Full details of the reason for your appeal/challenge and mitigating circumstances along with any supporting information/evidence.
If you have already provided all relevant information, then please accept our apologies and ignore this email, as we will be dealing with your appeal/challenge and notification of the outcome will be sent to you in the timeframe specified in the Notice you received.

Important Notes:

a) We will be responding to you within the timeframe specified on the Notice you have received, subject to the points listed below.
b) If you are appealing a PCN, which was affixed to your vehicle and you have not provided the information stated above, it may be necessary for us to contact the DVLA for details of the vehicle keeper in order that we can establish the identity of the driver.
c) In order to retain the option of the discounted payment amount (should your appeal be unsuccessful), your appeal must be received by the Central Payments Office no      later than 14 days from the Issue Date of this Notice.
d) If your appeal has not been received within the timescales set out on the Notice, it will be deemed out of time and as such declined UNLESS there are exceptional mitigating circumstances AND only at the company’s discretion.
e) Upon receipt of the required information we will place the NOTICE on hold while the circumstances surrounding the issue of the NOTICE are investigated.
f) Where applicable, we will advise you in writing of any further course of action you should take, as deemed necessary to support your appeal/challenge. Should we require longer to deal with the matter than the timeframes set on the Notice you have received, we will write to inform you of this within the timescale specified on the Notice along with a date/timeframe by which we expect to confirm our decision.
g) If you have already received a response from us informing you that your appeal had been unsuccessful, we will NOT respond to any further correspondence from you. Our letter would have informed you that our decision was final. As such, please disregard the information/requests referred to in the previous paragraphs of this email.

Thank you for your co-operation.
Central Processing Office


This communication is only for the use of the addressee. It may contain information which is legally privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient you must not read, copy, distribute or disseminate this communication or any attachments to anyone other than the addressee or use the information it contains. If you receive this communication in error, please inform us by replying to this e-mail. No responsibility is accepted by Excel Parking Services Ltd. for personal e-mails, or e-mails unconnected with the firm's business.

Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: SweetMeadow on September 14, 2025, 08:36:03 am
Thank you so much b789 this is exactly the steer I needed. I honestly couldn't believe it when I saw their drop down list. I appreciate the email address too, and your time in adapting the wording due to this drop down malarkey. It is appreciated. I'll let you know as soon as I get a response.
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: b789 on September 14, 2025, 07:25:02 am
STOP!!!!!!! DO NOT, EVER, contact VCS, especially by phone.  You treat VCS and any other unregulated private parking firm as you would any suspected scammer. You are not dealing with a respectable firm that has some sort of fluffy public facing customer service.

You have been told what to put in your appeal. I have adjusted it slightly because of the entrapment they have set up if you try and use their portal to appeal.

Send you your appeal by email to cpo@vehiclecontrol.co.uk and CC yourself. DO NOT try and overthink this and keep it verbatim:

Quote
Subject: Keeper appeal for PCN ref: [PCN number]

Please treat this as my formal appeal and complaint submitted by email. I will not be using your web portal or selecting any forced drop-down reason. Under the Private Parking Single Code of Practice v1.1 (17 Feb 2025), operators must accept appeals/complaints via reasonable channels and must not require use of a specific portal; treat this email accordingly (see §.11.2).

I am the registered keeper. VCS cannot hold a registered keeper liable for any alleged contravention on land that is under statutory control. As a matter of fact and law, VCS will be well aware that they cannot use the PoFA provisions because Bristol Airport is not 'relevant land'.

If Bristol Airport wanted to hold owners or keepers liable under Airport Byelaws, that would be within the landowner's gift and another matter entirely. However, not only is that not pleaded, it is also not legally possible because VCS is not the Airport owner and your 'parking charge' is not and never attempts to be a penalty. It is created for VCS’s own profit (as opposed to a byelaws penalty that goes to the public purse) and VCS has relied on contract law allegations of breach against the driver only.

The registered keeper cannot be presumed or inferred to have been the driver, nor pursued under some twisted interpretation of the law of agency. Your NtK can only hold the driver liable. VCS have no hope should you be so stupid as to try and litigate, so you are urged to save us both a complete waste of time and cancel the PCN.

Acknowledge receipt and confirm you will process this appeal without insisting on use of your portal.
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: SweetMeadow on September 13, 2025, 08:45:39 pm
Thanks b789. This is great support and advice.

Here’s the image of the drop down list. It is quite lengthy! https://imgur.com/a/2enSDam

I couldn’t see anywhere on the CN-NTK notice an email. Everything appears to go through a QR code or via www.myparkingcharge.co.uk

I'll ring VCS ltd on their general enquires Monday to see if they will give me an email address for appeals.

Plus I’ll send those two emails you kindly gave me, and report back as soon as I get a response.





Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: b789 on September 13, 2025, 05:50:05 pm
Send the following two emails and report back on any responses and show us what they send you. The first is to Bristol Airport. Make sure you also CC yourself:

Quote
Send to: dpo@bristolairport.com
CC: privacy@bristolairport.com

Subject: Environmental information request – VCS parking enforcement contract and site plan

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please treat this as a request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

I request copies of the following environmental information held by Bristol Airport Limited:

1. The current “Concession Service Agreement (Parking Enforcement)” between Bristol Airport Limited and Vehicle Control Services Ltd (VCS), including all schedules and any variations or addenda from 1 January 2023 to the present.
2. In particular, Schedule 3 (site plan / enforcement areas) identifying the internal roads, PUDO areas, car parks, entrances/exits and any other locations where VCS is authorised to enforce.
3. Any subsequent agreement replacing or extending the above, and any documents that alter the extent of the enforcement area (e.g. changes to red-route/no-stopping coverage) since 1 January 2023.

If you consider any parts exempt (e.g. Reg 12(5)(e) – commercial confidentiality), please disclose the remainder with proportionate redactions and provide the refusal notice identifying the specific exception(s) and public-interest test outcome.

Please provide the information electronically (PDFs for text; plans as PDFs or GIS files if held).

My name and contact details are below.

Yours faithfully,

[Your name]
[Email]
[Postal address]
(For the avoidance of doubt: under the EIR, requests may be made by email and do not have to use a web form.)

Send the second one to North Somerset Council and again, CC yourself:

Quote
Send to: foi@n-somerset.gov.uk
CC: infogov@n-somerset.gov.uk

Subject: Environmental information request – Bristol Airport internal roads: enforcement extent and signage consents

Dear FOI/EIR Team,

Please treat this as a request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

For the area comprising Bristol Airport (BS48 3DY), please provide:

1. Any plans/drawings (including those lodged with planning or highways files) that show the extent and location of red-route / “no-stopping” restrictions and associated signage/road markings on internal, unadopted airport roads (not the A38) from 1 January 2018 to present.
2. Copies of any planning permissions and advertisement consents for such signage and road markings on internal airport roads within the same period, including location plans and sign layouts.
3. Any documents you hold (e.g. planning statements, conditions, s106 obligations, traffic management drawings) that delineate areas where a third-party contractor (e.g. VCS) is stated to enforce parking or stopping controls within the airport estate.
4. If held, any records clarifying whether specific airport roads are adopted or private, and the boundary between the public highway and airport-managed roads.

Please provide the information electronically (copies of decision notices, plans and any GIS layers if held). If parts are exempt, please disclose the remainder and issue a refusal notice identifying the exception(s) and public-interest test outcome.

Yours faithfully,

[Your name]

[Email]
[Postal address]
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: b789 on September 13, 2025, 05:24:55 pm
What are the options? Otherwise send the appeal by email.

If you read the NtK carefully, you will not an unlawful statement at the very bottom where the mendacious firm of ex-clampers falsely state that they may pursue you on the assumption you were the driver.

The burden of proof is on VCS to prove you were the driver. No assumption or inference can be drawn. VCS v Edward (2023)[H0KF6C9C] (https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zra61px7l3if53o3bp9c4/VCS-v-EDWARD-Transcript.pdf?rlkey=bv4bba389nau5qpfglqkpjq5l&st=i11jhowe&dl=0) is the persuasive appellate case that got the idiots at VCS spanked in the appeals court.

Notably the very last paragraph of the appeal judgment states:

Quote
...it is not appropriate to draw an inference that, on balance of probability, the registered keeper was driving on
any given occasion.

You'd think these lying scumbags would learn but their greed is all consuming and there are way too many low-hanging fruit on the gullible tree out there who simply pay up out of ignorance and fear.
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: SweetMeadow on September 13, 2025, 02:55:10 pm
Which should I use from the www.myparkingcharge.co.uk drop down list? as it won’t let me submit my appeal without one.

I did not park for the stated time (VCS sent a CN for stopping not parking)
or
My vehicle was not in the car park at the time the contravention occurred (but doesn’t that wording seem like I admit a contravention occurred)

I’m treading carefully here as I don’t want to give them any cause to respond saying ‘Well you put.....so that means ..... you are responsible”

Many thanks again.
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: SweetMeadow on September 13, 2025, 02:03:31 pm
I see your point.

How does this look?

Dear Sirs,

I am the registered keeper. VCS cannot hold a registered keeper liable for any alleged contravention on land that is under statutory control. As a matter of fact and law, VCS will be well aware that they cannot use the PoFA provisions because Bristol Airport is not 'relevant land'.

If Bristol Airports landowners wanted to hold owners or keepers liable under Airport Byelaws, that would be within the landowner's gift and another matter entirely.

However, not only is that not pleaded, it is also not legally possible because VCS is not the Airport owner and your ‘charge notice CN' is not and never attempts to be a penalty.

The registered keeper cannot be presumed or inferred to have been the driver, nor pursued under some interpretation of the law of agency. Your NTK can only hold the driver liable.

So you are urged to save us both time and cancel the CN with immediate effect.

Yours faithfully,
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: jfollows on September 13, 2025, 01:40:56 pm
I would stick to the original proposed appeal.
(I didn’t write it but someone else put some thought into it.)

In what way is the notice “not valid”?

You omit the words about the NTK only holding the driver liable, which I think is important.

However, since your appeal is going to be rejected it doesn’t really matter anyway.
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: SweetMeadow on September 13, 2025, 01:29:18 pm
This is what I was thinking of sending. Thoughts ?

Dear Sirs,

I have received a charge notice from you, VCS Ltd, for allegedly stopping in a zone where stopping is prohibited. 

I am the registered keeper.

VCS cannot hold a registered keeper liable for any alleged contravention on land that is under statutory control. As a matter of fact and law, VCS will be well aware that they cannot use the PoFA provisions because BRISTOL Airport is not 'relevant land'.

If Bristol Airports landowners wanted to hold owners or keepers liable under Airport Byelaws, that would be within the landowner's gift and another matter entirely.

This charge notice is not valid, and I am seeking you to cancel this charge notice with immediate effect.

Yours sincerely,
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: SweetMeadow on September 13, 2025, 12:29:59 pm
Thank you jfollows! It is so good to know you are all here and helping.

I’ll ensure I keep all paperwork, and set reminders for deadlines etc.

I’ll keep you posted throughout.

Today, I’ll send them my appeal description.

Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: jfollows on September 13, 2025, 12:20:34 pm
You will not lose in court whoever is engaged as long as you follow good advice here and stay in top of paperwork and its deadlines.
As @b789 said, 99.9% likelihood you will end up paying nothing.
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: SweetMeadow on September 13, 2025, 11:53:44 am
Thank you so much mickR, jfollows, b789

Here is the image link. Thank you mickR https://imgur.com/a/3PkpHno (https://imgur.com/a/3PkpHno)

I have taken onboard b789 that if needed to refer to the driver in a third party tone, and am very grateful jfollows for the quote text to help me word my response.

My concern is, if it does become a court hearing that I will lose, and face higher costs or is this what they want?

Or should I just pay the £60 for literally a minute or less stop as we approached the barrier.

Bristol Airport have referred my complaint in house, so i’ll let you know what they respond with as and when.

Thank you agin for your time and advice, it really helps.
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: b789 on September 13, 2025, 11:18:25 am
VCS are a vexatious firm of ex-clampers and will pursue this all the way to a county court claim. They will lie and say that the byelaws have been rescinded for the location and so on.

If they decide to use DCB Legal to represent them, then it is a much easier firm to deal with and 99.9% for sure the claim will eventually either be struck out or discontinued. However, they sometime use Elms legal to issue the Letter of Claim (LoC) and then to issue the claim and after that will dismiss Elms and continue with their own in-house legal team, which is quite likely to go all the way to a hearing.

Either way, as long as the driver is not identified, they have no case to pursue the Keeper whether they were the driver or not. Remember that in any communication, you, the recipient of the Notice to Keeper (NtK) must only refer to the driver in the third person. No "I did this or that", only "the driver did this or that".
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: jfollows on September 13, 2025, 10:18:26 am
Do not identify the driver.

Search the forum for

VCS Bristol

and you will see lots of cases, including https://www.ftla.uk/private-parking-tickets/vcs-cn-stopping-in-a-prohibited-zone-bristol-airport/ which suggests

Quote
I am the registered keeper. VCS cannot hold a registered keeper liable for any alleged contravention on land that is under statutory control. As a matter of fact and law, VCS will be well aware that they cannot use the PoFA provisions because BRISTOL Airport is not 'relevant land'.

If Bristol Airports landowners wanted to hold owners or keepers liable under Airport Byelaws, that would be within the landowner's gift and another matter entirely. However, not only is that not pleaded, it is also not legally possible because VCS is not the Airport owner and your 'parking charge' is not and never attempts to be a penalty. It is created for VCS’s own profit (as opposed to a byelaws penalty that goes to the public purse) and VCS has relied on contract law allegations of breach against the driver only.

The registered keeper cannot be presumed or inferred to have been the driver, nor pursued under some twisted interpretation of the law of agency. Your NTK can only hold the driver liable. So you are urged to save us both a complete waste of time and cancel the PCN.
As you will see from the linked thread, VCS will reject your appeal and spout a load of rubbish, so you’ll have to be prepared to continue the process with advice given here.
Ultimately, assuming it’s DCB Legal who get involved, they will initiate a court claim but discontinue before paying the court fee. It’s their modus operandi to frighten people into paying.
Title: Re: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: mickR on September 13, 2025, 10:09:46 am
READ THIS FIRST - **BEFORE POSTING YOUR CASE!**,
https://www.ftla.uk/private-parking-tickets/read-this-first-private-parking-charges-forum-guide/
Title: CN - NTK- Stopping in a Zone- Bristol Airport
Post by: SweetMeadow on September 13, 2025, 09:59:00 am
Hello everyone,

I have recently received a charge notice from VCS Ltd to myself the registered keeper. ( How do I attach the Notice Paper into this post? I have images but couldn’t see how to include them here).

We were on a family holiday and briefly stopped at 4:07am to check where to go with the meet & greet company. The notice shows us at 4:08am allegedly stopped as we are approaching the barrier for short stay.
The small white sign to the left of our vehicle. In the first image doesn’t appear to be about a no stopping zone ( although we were tired and it was dark so didn’t take note)

I would like to appeal/complain and have seen on their website a clever drop down list to put a title of what you were doing to stop. I ignored this and it let me move to the description box. I would also only put that I am a registered keeper as I wasn’t driving at the time. I haven’t actually put a description of my appeal in yet. I just tested the waters to see what I had to do.So I haven’t appealed yet or complained.

I really appreciate that this is an ongoing topic but don’t want to appeal/complain if there is no chance of it being rejected. I have also written to Bristol Airport Ltd expressing my complaint about this.

Any guidance is much appreciated and valued.