Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

to not pay this fine?

41 replies

FrozenYogurt · 01/02/2011 20:06

This is more of a wwyd. -

Parking on our street is always a bit of a nightmare, but we normally always manage to find a space. However, at the weekend we came back home after a dinner at friends to find no spaces on our or any neighbouring streets so had to park hanging over a double yellow line.
Woke up the next morning to find a ticket had been issued, fair enough, except they've noted down the registration down wrongly. Would i be unreasonabe not to pay it? They won't be able to track us down surely? It's only one digit out so could they play detective and find us based on the area they issued the ticket?

Only reason we parked on lines is it was freezing and we had our sleeping three mth DD with us and didn't want the walk.

Thanks for any advice, have been lurking on here for a while but this is my first AIBU.

OP posts:

QueenStromba · 01/02/2011 22:44

If you can get off on a technicality then don't pay it just make sure that you tell the council that they have the wrong registration so the person who does own that car doesn't get hassled.

WetAugust · 01/02/2011 22:51

I've been the person who received a ticket meant for someone else but with my car's registration number on it.

It was issued in London. I've never taken the car to London and was at work that day. The ticket also showed make and colour of teh car - so despite it being issued to my Reg No the colour and make of vehicle were wrong.

I just rang Lambeth Council and told them this. They cancelled the ticket as they said it was probably an error made by the Traffic Warden, but told me to report the matter to the DVLA in case someone was using my Reg No.

llbeanj · 01/02/2011 23:03

it does depend on exactly what ticket it is, if it is issued by the police, then you could end up in court for not paying it, and the magistrate probably won't be bothered about a small mistake.
but most are council tickets, and they do have to get these things right, and it doesn't go to court.
as much as i hate bad parking, i don't care about people getting off tickets on a technicality, as lots of people get tickets on a technicality - being 2 minutes late back to a car park or parking on the line shouldn't cost £30, but councils are quite happy to issue tickets for those. if they want to people to stick exactly to the rules then they have to stick exactly to the rules themselves

MadamDeathstare · 02/02/2011 04:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

QueenStromba · 02/02/2011 16:07

Yup llbeanj - my one and only parking ticket was for being about 2 inches over the line into the residents permit holders bit of parking when that was completely empty and the pay and display section was completely full (of cars with resident permits might I add - grr).

feistychickfightingthebull · 02/02/2011 16:23

This happened to me too and I did not pay the fine. Legally that ticket was not issued to you because the registration on the ticket is not your car.....simple...... That would be upheld in a court of law, you only pay for a ticket for your actual car and if there is a mistake on that ticket then has been issued in error and does not have to be paid.

Original poster

FrozenYogurt · 02/02/2011 20:18

Thanks for that advice, FeistyChick, I'm going to try and get this invalidated! I'm normally really 'law abiding' and stick to the rules but I think it's worth a try at least, what's the worst that can happen?

OP posts:

squareheadcut · 02/02/2011 20:23

ur lucky - don't pay it of course

cumfy · 02/02/2011 21:13

I wonder if the warden deliberately made the mistake if it was borderline ?
After all it's all they've got to do!
Who seriously can't write down a plate ?

Trouble is you might get caught with the fine doubling and then they getcha!

Have you got an angel and a devil on your shoulders yet ?:o

renderedspeechless · 02/02/2011 21:30

hi frozenyougourt, i often come off the lurkingline when there are parking ticket threads.

i have seen many a thread about the rights and wrongs of parking tickets that have been issued. i have to say that its very noble of you to say that you intend to pay the fine, BUT, please don't. really.

the issue isnt about whether you had parked legally or not. its about the legality of the notice that you have received. yes, you shouldnt have parked in that way, BUT there are certain obligations on the part of the issuing authority. if the reg is not correct, then they have failed in that obligation for the reg details to be correct. in your case they are not.

this isnt a cse of 'trying to wriggle out of paying', the enforcement officer recorded your vehicle details incorrectly and that is the long and short of it. really, pls dont pay this. councils have no practicable way of checking or recording the number of fines that are pay to tickets with incorrect details. to pay the fine would not flag this up to the council. as a public service provider, the legitimacy of tickets issued is measured the number paid, and at what stage.

pls, if you do decide to still pay to ease your conscience, pls consider also writing to the council, highlighting the vrm discrepancy. they will them write back to you with a decision and at least your conscience will be clear(er).

missmakesstuff · 02/02/2011 21:41

I had a similar situation last week, except I haven't been so lucky, they have my reg down properly - my rear wheel was about an inch onto the yellow line at the end of a residents space, so officially in the street and not the parking space - no spaces anywhere else - sleeping baby, carseat, three bags to carry, freezing - wasn't going to chance it, and a passing parking warden told me it 'should be ok'. Next morning - ticket. That's a nice little earner for him then, £25 out of my pocket.

You were lucky, challenge it, they cant say a thing! Don't pay it!

oh, and another little aside, they have to legally wait, I think its 7 or 9 mins, before they can issue a ticket. Handy to know if you have parked badly and they spot you - you do have time to move - at least round here you do.

Original poster

FrozenYogurt · 02/02/2011 22:04

Well, I've rattled off a polite email saying since the notice is for a car that's not registered to me I shan't be paying the fine. I'll update the thread when I hear from the council. It's in the t's &c's that they extend the 14 day discount period for all challenged tickets so if I don't manage to 'weasle' out of it I can pay the discounted rate.

OP posts:

renderedspeechless · 02/02/2011 22:05

"oh, and another little aside, they have to legally wait, I think its 7 or 9 mins, before they can issue a ticket. Handy to know if you have parked badly and they spot you - you do have time to move - at least round here you do"

this is incorrect. this may be how your council approaches parking enforcement as a matter policy, BUT this is not a legal obligation. many contraventions will legally qualify for an instant ticket.

missmakesstuff · 02/02/2011 22:34

I didn't realise that - here - a street where the parking is a nightmare, with lots of different rules for different days, permits etc, they have to wait - for example, we can park on a curb, single yellow line, after a certain time until morning - however, after 9am its a ticket. They have to wait 7 mins after its first noticed - so they wait on our road at 9am until 7 mins past, ready to slap tickets on.

I'm going to challenge mine too - if only because I am royally pissed off at the eejit warden who told me I would be fine parking there - they really should help out with advice if they don't know the bloody rules themselves!

Good luck with yours yoghurt, hopefully you won't have to pay.

Margles · 02/02/2011 23:01

Yep, I had a parking warden lying in wait to ticket me for just the same situation - just as I was coming out to put a visitor's permit on the car. In his zeal he put the wrong time on the ticket.

I'm normally Mrs Law-abiding but the way he was waiting to pounce infuriated me,so I appealed because I was parked legally at the start time on the ticket. I got off.

The council were also slow at getting round to answering my appeal - I think there is a time limit which they didn't meet,which might be why I got off.

Original poster

FrozenYogurt · 10/02/2011 14:33

Update - I received a letter today informing me that they'd cancelled the fine due to the incorrect reg no. They did have a photo of my car (overhanging the double yellow line by about a foot, grr) so I guess the officer who issued the fine is kicking him/herself now!!

Thanks for all the replies, saved me £35!!

OP posts:

Flip

1 2