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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?

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:

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Date of detection:

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27/03/26.

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Date charge was due:

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02/04/26.

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Date of notice / date of posting:

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23/04/26.

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Date of service (2 working days after):

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27/04/26.

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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.

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,

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?

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

If you're moving to Canada, I think you can safely ignore them because they cannot enforce in Canada

Only temporarily..

Had no further communication with them since that email and just got a message from POPLA saying that it's been withdrawn

The operator has contacted us and told us that they have withdrawn your appeal.

If you have already paid your parking charge, this is the reason your appeal will have been withdrawn. Unfortunately, you cannot pay your parking charge and appeal, which means that POPLA’s involvement in your appeal has ended. You will not be able to request a refund of the amount paid in order to resubmit your appeal to us.

If you have not paid your parking charge, the operator has reviewed your appeal and chosen to cancel the parking charge. As the operator has withdrawn your appeal, POPLA’s involvement has now ended and you do not need to take any further action.

Kind regards

POPLA Team

Strange way to word it.. "they have withdrawn your appeal"..

Also kind of ridiculous that they can wait for you to go through all the work of writing an appeal and then withdrawn their PCN with no penalty, but as the person challenging, you have to engage with the process every step of the way or else lose your right to appeal.

Almost disappointed that nobody's even going to read the appeal