Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hi all,


I am the registered keeper of a vehicle (with the V5C in my possession) that received a PCN. Seeking advice on the following situation:

• 26 February 2025: The driver stayed at Queens Hotel, Scotland, and entered the registration into the hotel's system.
• 4 March 2025: PCN issued by Civil Enforcement Limited, stating a charge of £100 (reducible to £60 if paid within 14 days).
• Before 25 March 2025: I submitted an appeal to Civil Enforcement Limited, but I don’t have a copy. I’m concerned I may have mentioned the driver parked the vehicle, implying driver liability.
• 25 March 2025: Appeal denied by Civil Enforcement Limited.
• 15 May 2025: Received a forwarded email chain from the hotel, including an email from Creative Car Park stating the PCN was cancelled. The hotel admitted multiple similar issues with their old tablet, leading to a new one being installed.
• 21 May 2025: Civil Enforcement sent a debt recovery notice for £140.
• 6 June 2025: Direct Collection Bailiffs Ltd issued a notice for £170, despite the 'cancellation'.

I’m unsure how to proceed. Should I:




Request a copy of my appeal from Civil Enforcement to clarify my position?




Contact the BPA to argue the charge should be voided based on the cancellation email? I understand that POPLA is of not much use is Scotland, regardless I have past the 28 days from the appeal rejection from CEL for appealing to them. I'm also understanding that Creative Car Parks and CEL are basically the same company.




Any advice would be greatly appreciated.




Thanks!




P.S apologies if I've said anything wrongly, first time posting.


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I'm, assuming that the email you've shown us is one that the hotel receive after asking the operator to cancel the PCN and they have forwarded a copy to you. Do you have any evidence that the email refers to your PCN? I see no reference to a specific PCN number.

Without seeing what you put in your original appeal, we won't know if you did or you didn't waste your "golden ticket" by identifying the driver when there was no reason to do so and would have left the operator with nowhere to go.

No. It's too late for that unless you send a Subject Access Request (SAR) to them. Just keep the evidence you have that the PCN was supposedly cancelled after a request by the Hotel.

You could send a strongly worded complaint to the Hotel, assuming they are the landowner or leaseholder who have contracted CEL and are therefore jointly and severally liable for the actions of their agent. Ask why, after they have confirmed that the PCN was cancelled, as evidenced by your correspondence with them, has their agent continued to pursue this?

Otherwise, you do nothing unless you receive a Letter of Claim (LoC). You can safely ignore any reminders and debt recovery letters. 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.

Are you a Scottish resident? If not, in which country are you resident?