Free Traffic Legal Advice

This is my draft representation, I appreciate any feedback:

To whom it may concern

I parked the vehicle at approximately 0600hrs on 12/4/25, fully within the marked bay and noted that there was a black pole without any sign attached as can clearly be seen in photos taken both by your enforcement officer and myself. I did look for additional signage but there was none visible, this may have been due to a large articulated lorry being parked at the opposite end of the bay (some 35 metres away, not 7 metres as you claimed in your rejection of my informal appeal) and entirely obscuring it.

I note that since the PCN was issued that the missing sign nearest where I parked has now been replaced. This is an admission by Islington Council that the signage present on the date and time when I parked was incomplete and therefore inadequate. The council have therefore failed in their duty under Regulation 18 (1)b. of The Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996.

On this basis the penalty charge must be cancelled immediately.

Sincerely etc

I may be over there later so will check signage.

Just want to sincerely thank you for going to the effort of doing that for an internet stranger.

So the council admit by their action in replacing the sign, that signage is not adequate, and adequacy is Rule 18 of LATOR.
However, is the OP willing to risk the full PCN penalty ?

Yes, I'm willing to go all the way with this not least because I don't think the council have done their job properly. In further defence of myself and enhancing the argument for inadequate signage, may I ask how does a motorist even know they should look for signage? Because the entrance to the road informs that it's a controlled parking zone? You can see on google maps that whilst Blundell St has entrance signage, the entrance to Brandon Rd from Blundell St does not.

How about the entrance to Brandon Rd from York Way? Well, that does have signage but it's no longer accessible as has been made "No Entry" so therefore I couldn't enter from that direction. Furthermore, being partly industrial/commercial premises, Blundell St and Brandon Rd are used by HGV's for overnight parking. I would have parked on Brandon Rd at around 06:00am at which time the singular tiny sign was completely obstructed by a parked HGV.

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Is anyone able to advise how I should word my formal appeal?

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I have not paid fine as I wish to challenge. I've now received "Notice to Owner". Islington claim that sign was within 7 metres is clearly nonsense, my vehicle is 3.5 metres long and there's no signage visible in at least 7 or 8 car lengths?

I can post more pages of Notice to Owner if required, have just included 1 of 6 for now.

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These are photos I took at time. Note that although black pole is near my car there's no sign attached to it as mentioned in my informal appeal.

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I'm having trouble including images. No matter what I seem to do they won't display from either Imgur or postimages.org

Edit: Well..... that worked?

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