Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hello and thanks in advance for all advice.

on 30/4/25 the vehicle parked at the Bridge Retail Park in Torquay, and suffered a mechanical issue. The driver had to await assistance, the issue was resolved and the driver left the car park. The registered keeper received a letter from UK Parking Control Ltd dated 7/5/25 stating that the vehicle had been on the premises for 34 minutes longer than the allowed maximum time, and that a £100 charge was due, reduced to £60 if paid in 14 days (see scan pages 1 and 2). A further letter was received approximately 2 weeks later but was not opened, was not read and is now lost. The attached letters dated 4th and 12th of June were then received stating that £170 is now due and if not paid the case will escalate with further costs (3rd attached letter has identical 2nd side to the 2nd attached letter).
The registered keeper believes that the letters received do not constitute a legitimate invoice for parking charges as they are not appropriately detailed and specify varying amounts owing. However, the RK is concerned that the case may escalate to court and wishes to avoid this. No contact has been made with UKPC.
I would value any advice to deal with this matter in a timely fashion and avoid further escalation or paying the escalated costs; ideally a solution which prevents any payment being necessary.
I do not have a picture of the parking signs but they are visible on the Streetview from 2022. Location is here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Yx3cKMhkxMqXUUJUA
Many thanks


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If you follow the advice here, you will not pay a penny to UKPC. However, it is a protracted process. As it is too late appeal and you have started to receive debt recovery letters, you will have to wait for UKPC to issue a claim which will come from their bulk litigator of choice, DCB Legal.

You can safely ignore all the debt collector letters with their fake add-on £70. Debt collectors are powerless to do anything except to try and persuade the low-hanging fruit on the gullible tree to pay up out of ignorance and fear.

When you receive a Letter of Claim (LoC) from DCB Legal, respond with the following by email to info@dcblegal.co.uk and also CC yourself:

Dear Sirs,

Your Letter Before Claim contains insufficient detail of the claim and fails to provide copies of evidence your client places reliance upon and thus is in complete contravention of the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims.

Because your letter lacks specificity and breaches the requirements of the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (paragraphs 3.1(a)-(d), 5.1 and 5.2) as well as the Practice Direction - Pre-Action Conduct (paragraphs 6(a) and 6(c)), you must treat this letter as a formal request for all of the documents/information that the protocol now requires your client to provide. Your client must not issue proceedings without complying with that protocol.

As solicitors you must surely be familiar with the requirements of both the Practice Direction and the Pre-Action Protocol for debt claims and your client, as a serial litigator of debt claims, should likewise be aware of them. As you (and your client) must know, the Practice Direction and Protocol bind all potential litigants, whatever the size or type of the claim. Its express purpose is to assist parties in understanding the claim and their respective positions in relation to it, to enable parties to take stock of their positions and to negotiate a settlement, or at least narrow the issues, without incurring the costs of court proceedings or using up valuable court time. It is embarrassing that a firm of Solicitors are sending a consumer a vague and un-evidenced 'Letter of Claim' in complete ignorance of the pre-existing Practice Direction and the Pre-Action Protocol.

I confirm that, once I am in receipt of a Letter Before Claim that complies with the requirements of para 3.1 (a) of the Pre-Action Protocol, I shall then seek advice and submit a formal response within 30 days, as required by the Protocol. Thus, I require your client to comply with its obligations by sending me the following information/documents:

1. An explanation of the cause of action
2. whether they are pursuing me as driver or keeper
3. whether they are relying on the provisions of Schedule 4 of POFA 2012
4. what the details of the claim are; for how long it is claimed the vehicle was parked, how the monies being claimed arose and have been calculated
5. Is the claim for a contractual breach? If so, what is the date of the agreement? The names of the parties to it and provide to me a copy of that contract.
6. If the claim is for a contractual breach, photographs showing the vehicle was parked in contravention of said contract.
7. Is the claim for trespass? If so, provide details.
8. Provide me a copy of the contract with the landowner under which they assert authority to bring the claim, as required by the BPA/IPC Private Parking Single Code of Practice (PPSCoP).
9. a plan showing where any signs were displayed
10. Photographs of the signs displayed (size of sign, size of font, height at which displayed) at the time of any alleged contravention.
11. Provide details of the original charge, and detail any interest and administrative or other charges added
12. Am I to understand that the additional £70 represents what is dressed up as a 'Debt Recovery' fee, and if so, is this nett or inclusive of VAT? If the latter, would you kindly explain why I am being asked to pay the operator’s VAT?
13. With regard to the principal alleged PCN sum: Is this damages, or will it be pleaded as consideration for parking?

I am clearly entitled to this information under paragraphs 6(a) and 6(c) of the Practice Direction. I also need it in order to comply with my own obligations under paragraph 6(b).

If your client does not provide me with this information then I put you on notice that I will be relying on the cases of Webb Resolutions Ltd v Waller Needham & Green [2012] EWHC 3529 (Ch), Daejan Investments Limited v The Park West Club Limited (Part 20) Buxton Associates [2003] EWHC 2872, Charles Church Developments Ltd v Stent Foundations Limited & Peter Dann Limited [2007] EWHC 855 in asking the court to impose sanctions on your client and to order a stay of the proceedings, pursuant to paragraphs 13, 15(b) and (c) and 16 of the Practice Direction, as referred to in paragraph 7.2 of the Protocol.

Until your client has complied with its obligations and provided this information, I am unable to respond properly to the alleged claim and to consider my position in relation to it, and it is entirely premature (and a waste of costs and court time) for your client to issue proceedings. Should your client do so, then I will seek an immediate stay pursuant to paragraph 15(b) of the Practice Direction and an order that this information is provided.

Yours faithfully,

[Your name]

You will receive an N1SDT Claim Form at some stage, at least 30 days after this. When you do, come back and we will provide the necessary advice on how to acknowledge service and we will provide a defence for submission.

In due course, the claim will either be struck out or discontinued.

Hello

I sent the response letter to the Letter of Claim as set out below, and have not received any response or acknowledgement.

I have now received the N1SDT Claim Form. I have only just opened this as I've been away, it's dated 28th October.

I'm going to be out of the country from Monday 3rd November until 10th November. Do I need to seek an extension of some sort so that I can address this on my return, or do I need to send a response before I leave?

If you could provide me with a suitable response it would be appreciated

Thanks in advance

Hopefully this link works?

https://imgpile.com/p/ACYJO9x

The date is 28th October

Thank you

Thank you - will get onto this right away.

All normal. You can check your MCOL history to see when your own N180 has been issued or just wait to receive it in the post. Having received your own N180 (make sure it is not simply a copy of the claimants N180) or been notified on MCOL that yours has been sent, do not use the paper form. Ignore all the other forms that came with it. you can discard those. Download your own N180 DQ here and fill it in on your computer. You sign it by simply typing your full name in the signature box.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/673341e779e9143625613543/N180_1124.pdf

Here are the answers to some of the less obvious questions:


When you have completed the form, attach it to a single email addressed to both dq.cnbc@justice.gov.uk and [claimant to their legal representative]and CC in yourself. Make sure that the claim number is in the subject field of the email.