Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hello,
Can anybody advise on this parking charge notice from Euro Car Parks please, is this worth appealing?
The registered keeper has received a Parking Charge Notice from Euro Car Parks relating to a stay at an M&S car park in Beckenham. https://maps.app.goo.gl/WWUkitS3TRQ2GaYx8

Car park limit: 90 minutes
ANPR recorded stay: 1 hour 43 minutes (entry 13:15:32, exit 14:58:24), with ANPR photos of the vehicle number plate on entry/exit
Date of event: 6 April 2026 (Bank Holiday Monday)
PCN issued: 13 April 2026
£85 charge, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days

The driver entered the car park and, due to it being a busy bank holiday, it took some time to find a space.

Signage is present at the entrance, near the shop entrance, and in parts of the main car park. However, the driver eventually parked in a smaller bay (approx. 6 spaces) on the opposite side where there were no visible signs at all (photos available).

On leaving, there was congestion: a one-way exit with no alternative routes, and a queue of cars waiting at traffic lights with a long cycle. This caused delays exiting the site.

The Notice to Keeper is dated 13 April but was only received on 20 April, so a week of the reduced payment period has already passed.

Any guidance on the best approach and likelihood of success would be much appreciated. Is it worth appealing to Euro Car Parks first (and then to POPLA if rejected)?

Many thanks in advance.

photos uploaded on ibb, links here:
 
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Well done !

So what's the point in providing Collaboration Certs then?

So that the prosecution can adduce evidence without having to produce a witness, thus saving time and expense. The absence of a certificate just means a witness would need to testify that the camera was working, and unless you could undermine the witness's evidence you'd be convicted, certificate or no certificate.

The fact that people would like certificates to be legally required is a bit like life after death: it's a nice idea, it would make many of us very happy if it were true, but the fact that we would like it to be true does not make it so.

If you want a defence, you'll have to find something else to argue.

It looks like VCS have no intention of dropping the case

VCS are one of the operators that actually goes all the way to hearings more often than many.

I think you would be wise to consider in advance how you will answer any questions relating to this new WS. At face value, a defence that in fair part relies on accusations of the claimant failing to comply with the CPR is somewhat weakened by the defendant also failing to comply with the same.

Therefore it would be reasonable to assume that the Defendant simply waited for my Company’s Statement before addressing the Claim in its
entirety.

Again, at face value, not an unreasonable conclusion, but on the other side of the coin, a defendant can only respond to the allegations levelled against him. Part of your argument is that the PoC were too sparse for you to respond in much detail, so you were unable to file a more substantive response until such time as you properly understood what their arguments were going to be.

This case may depend somewhat on which judge you get on the day.

Is anyone able to help with this. I have replied via the IAS saying that I don't believe their evidence was adequate to my point about the ringgo app but I have had no response. It is now saying that the case may need to go to the arbitrator but I don't know exactly who that is. It doesn't sound judicial