Free Traffic Legal Advice
Live cases legal advice => Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on) => Topic started by: Simon12ko on February 17, 2026, 04:28:19 pm
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Please post a photo of the actual permit, as without it we cannot assess the council comments about the Monday scratch-off.
Thank you for your response, I will post the picture of the actual permit tomorrow,but I would think it is more important, what can actually be seen on the images, which I have attached already, as that is what the council will be working with, only.
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Please post a photo of the actual permit, as without it we cannot assess the council comments about the Monday scratch-off.
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Hi all,
I would be very grateful for advice on how to proceed with this PCN. I intend to take this all the way if necessary, as I believe the permit was valid and the PCN was issued incorrectly.
PCN Details
- Council: Haringey
- PCN number: ...............
- Date of contravention: 28 January 2026
- Time of contravention: 11:30
- Location: Haringey N15 STH TOT (ST) CPZ
- Contravention: Parked in a permit bay without displaying a valid permit
- Vehicle registration: AK17AYB
Background
On 28 January 2026, I displayed a Haringey visitor permit in my vehicle.
I personally completed and scratched off the permit correctly before leaving the vehicle. The permit was valid from 10:40 to 11:40.
However, the Civil Enforcement Officer issued the PCN at 11:30, which was clearly within the validity period of the permit.
This is why I challenged the PCN informally.
Council’s Rejection on 17th Feb 2026
Haringey rejected my challenge and stated:
“The day and date scratched on the visitor permit does not correspond with the day your vehicle was parked. The permit was marked for a Monday (5th), while your vehicle was observed on a Wednesday. The date (28th) was also not marked.”
This statement is factually incorrect.
Evidence Issues
There are approximately 25 photos on the council’s evidence portal.
From reviewing them carefully:
The photos clearly show that Wednesday was scratched off
The photos clearly show that the 28th was scratched off
28 January 2026 was in fact a Wednesday, so the scratched day and date match perfectly
Some other areas of the permit show minor marks ie the 5th is also a bit scratched out, which may be from handling, but the correct day and date were clearly scratched
Crucially, the CEO’s photos of the valid permit are taken at weird angles and are not clear in showing the permit properly, despite taking 25 photos overall and the other pictures do appear to be clear and the right way up, so it feels as if they specially did that.
The permit was clearly displayed and visible in the windscreen
Key Points
The permit was:
Paid for
Properly displayed
Valid for the date (Wednesday 28th January)
Valid for the time period (10:40–11:40)
The PCN was issued at 11:30, during the validity period
Therefore, the permit was valid at the time of the alleged contravention.
My Position
I believe:
The CEO either misread the permit or failed to properly assess it and was also very rude !!
The council has incorrectly stated that the 28th was not scratched, when the photos show it was
The rejection appears to rely on an incorrect interpretation of the evidence
Current Status
My informal challenge has been rejected on 17th Feb 2026.
I understand the next stage is to wait for the Notice to Owner and then submit formal representations.
Questions
Based on the above, do I have strong grounds to continue to formal representations and adjudication if necessary? What do you all advise I do next?
Does the CEO’s unclear photographic evidence weaken the council’s case?
Is the fact that the correct day and date were scratched sufficient to establish validity, even if there are incidental marks elsewhere ie on the 5th - even though the 28th and Wednesday do match up and the 5th was on a monday?
Is there anything specific I should include in my formal representations?
What do you suggest - any advise is greatly appreciated, it seems like we are arguing over whether the bit scratched out on the 5th is invalidating the permit or if that can still be counted as a valid permit? I did spend the time, money and effort to put the permit in and scratch out the correct information.
I honestly didn't notice that it was a bit scratched out on the 5th and was very surprised to receive a ticket and couldn't understand for the life of me, why I had received the ticket. It is not my fault the scratching out system is such rubbish and any handling of the scratch off peel and it comes off so easily.
Evidence
I will upload:
Council rejection letter - [img width=103.99305725097656 height=178.99305725097656]https://i.postimg.cc/N21kMtkX/Screenshot-2026-02-17-155100.png[/img] (https://postimg.cc/N21kMtkX)
CEO images - weird angles annoyingly and unclear.
[img width=180.00001525878906 height=105.98958587646484]https://i.postimg.cc/F76CBrny/CEO-Image-1.png[/img] (https://postimg.cc/F76CBrny)
[img width=180.00001525878906 height=85.00000762939453]https://i.postimg.cc/cgTXM0nq/CEO-image-2.png[/img] (https://postimg.cc/cgTXM0nq)
[img width=180.00001525878906 height=85.00000762939453]https://i.postimg.cc/sB4cssKg/CEO-Image-3.png[/img] (https://postimg.cc/sB4cssKg)
https://postimg.cc/gallery/VsJ3rdw - Full gallery
The other images are all of the car and the PCN / Permit sign
Copy of the permit itself (if required) - I have kept that in my car for now.
Thank you in advance for any advice. All advice is greatly appreciated. Let me know if you need anything else