Free Traffic Legal Advice

I received an email today informing me the client has discontinued the claim. A day before WS statements were due.
Thank you everyone for all the advice you’ve provided, directly and via others’ posts.
I appreciate all the time the experts invest in helping us numpties.
Power to the parkers!

Hello
I have been working on my WS and am wondering if the fact that the Claimant’s DQ is not signed by a named individual - in fact no individual is named in the document as DCB Legal Ltd’s representative - is helpful.
Also, as mentioned previously, the person engaging in the mediation for the claimant refused to give their full name, job title and confirm their authority to act. (I was told by the mediator that the person introduced by first name only - Jenny/Jenni/Jennie? - was “part of the litigation team so they have authority to negotiate”.)
Claimant’s DQ: https://ibb.co/qLcmBgNJ
I have tried to speak to the court to found out if the claimant has submitted their WS but not got through yet. I will try again tomorrow morning.
Thanks in advance

Hello again
I have been through mediation. I followed the advice given on the site, but the person acting for the claimant wouldn’t provide their full name and job title etc and the mediator said she wasn’t able to record this. I carried on and gave zero as my settlement figure.
I now have a Notice of Allocation to the Small Claims Track.
Along the way I have had numerous (unanswered) calls from DCB Legal and several emails.
DCB most recently emailed to offer to settle for £100 (the full figure claimed is £277).
The claimant and the defendant have to submit their document bundles by 5th June 4.00pm. The claimant needs to pay the £27 court fee by 3rd July 4.00pm.
Any guidance gratefully received.
With thanks in advance.

Hello Again
I followed the advice received.
I have now received a claim form. I have redacted it and attached it here.
(The claim states the defendant as driver and/or registered keeper is liable, which is not correct, is it? The signage was also not clear as shown at the start of this post. And the driver would have been able to comply with the terms had they been aware of them as they shopped on the site etc.)
Many thanks in advance.
https://ibb.co/pryVnkGc

Many thanks!

Here with the N1SDT.
https://ibb.co/MkvRxQw6
Many thanks for your time and expertise.

Can I check please, when you say respond to the LoC with the text provided, do you mean I wait for a "Letter of Claim" as the document I have been sent is a "Letter Before Claim"?
Thank you.

I am the registered keeper of the vehicle.
The PCN is dated 4th July 2024 and relates to parking at Exe Bridge Retail Park on the outskirts of Exeter. I did not record the date that I received the PCN from Horizon Parking Ltd.
Local media reports that Horizon Parking Ltd brought in new parking charges at Exe Bridge Retail Park in December 2023.
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/new-penalty-charges-introduced-two-8930289
The news report shows a close up image of a small sign and records the text on another sign as stating:
"If less than 60 minutes, simply park shop and go. Needing longer? If you're a customer, you'll need to spend in store to receive a parking voucher at the till. When ready to leave, scan the voucher and enter your vehicle registration to validate. Parking limited to three hours with voucher.”
The driver of the vehicle parked at Exe Bridge Retail Park to shop on the afternoon of 27th June 2024 having not visited since the new charges were introduced. The driver remained oblivious that new charges were in place. They state they were given no reason to seek out or read any of the signage around the retail park. It is their belief that there was no overt or eye-catching attempt to warn parkers that new charges were in place.
Horizon Parking Ltd records the driver’s arrival at the retail park as 15.49pm and their stay lasting one hour and 29 minutes.
During that time the driver shopped in two of the stores.
Their bank statement records those visits albeit the date on the statement is given as the following day, 28th June 2024. At neither store was the driver offered a parking voucher nor made aware that a parking voucher was required under new rules.
Via the banking app chat function the time of the transactions was provided to the driver by the bank. The dates and time of the transactions was as follows:
27th June 2024
TK Max 16.45pm
Marks & Spencer 17.05pm.
The driver has a screenshot of this exchange on chat (the bank could not send a digital image of the records).
This image from Google Maps shows the entrance to the car-park on Haven Road, Exeter, and is dated August 2024.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/FUFWe3gjDyWa3tiK9
There are signs to the left and right of the entrance but they are bland with a white background and small lettering and do not attract attention. They are also placed where the driver would be concentrating on the road and cars ahead. It would be to my mind unreasonable to expect a driver to stop in that location to read the signs. In fact, a driver stopping to read the sign on the left would have to block the road as the sign is directly on the corner with Haven Road.
Local media related that users found the new rules confusing:
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/confusing-new-exeter-parking-rules-8988721
I have not responded to Horizon Parking Ltd, nor their debt collectors, Empira and Debt Recovery Plus.
I recently received a Letter Before Claim dated 11th July 2025 from Gladstones Solicitors. I have not yet responded.
The cost for parking for part of a second hour for any non-shoppers is 4GBP. Horizon Parking sought 60GBP rising to 100GBP if not paid within 14 days. The amount sought has since risen from 100GBP to 170GBP to include time and resources spent facilitating the recovery of the unpaid parking charge notice.
Thanks in anticipation for any guidance on how to proceed.


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