So I've just received a Penalty Charge Notice for £110 referring only to my registration number (not even car make or colour)

'Parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours'

on 28th July at 2011 at 2:35pm in Harrow.

Now I know I have never ever been to Harrow, and that no one else could have driven my car there on the day of the alleged offense, but how do I prove that?

The harrow.gov.uk website has a Parking fines Pay or Challenge button, but predictably their web server times out when you click it. Maybe it's a computer mass mailing glitch?

I'd expect them to have a photo of my vehicle parked in the restricted street.

About an hour before the time of the alleged offence I was on my mobile to Billings Aquadrome to book my pitch at the Polo show. I'd love to be able to use that as evidence! I could not have travelled from the point where I phoned to Harrow in that time. Perhaps they will try to charge me with speeding to get there too.

Anyone else had one of these?

thats weird! I'm only 10/15 mins from harrow :)

must be a mix up!

It's down to them to prove it. Ask for their evidence.

thats weird! I'm only 10/15 mins from harrow :)

Do you want to swap number plates?

You could never visit Cambridge though.

Computer glitch is looking likely

"

As a council, Harrow issues more than 110,000 penalty charge notices (PCNs) per

year. As a result of the new technology and processes in place, it has reduced

overall staff costs by 30% as well as boosting productivity by more than 40% per

annum

"

http://www.civica.co.uk/system/production/...l/Harrow_CS.pdf

Cloned plates at a guess.

x2 beat me to it yeti , ask them for proof of the car buddy i.e photographic evidence

I wouldn't even do that to start with I'd just write to them and say nope, never been there and say where you were at the time. Innocent til proven guilty and all that.

yeah dont volunteer informationa need dont even get into trying to deny anything.

as above said - Politely write to them (keep a copy) statign you have never been there and that you consider that to be the end of the matter.

I've always thought these kind of fines were unenforcable - I just tend to ignore them.

The councils just give up after a while.

Edited 17 September, 201114 yr by muppetmaster

Council and police fines are enforcable as far as I know, its the private parking companies that arnt enforcable :)

I live in harrow, ask for evidence otherwise tell the 'Harrow council' to fuck off. They're awful anyway

I sent Harrow council a polite challenge form pointing that I had never ever been there, nor did anyone else have access to the car on the day of the alleged offence and could they please supply their supporting evidence.

Two days after sending that I was able to access their website during working hours (it appears to be unavailable while it is updated overnight, but does not tell you that). And I found the picture of a similar coloured same make and model car whose number plate was different by one letter alphabetically.

So someone typed it wrong. Or wrote it wrong. Or a computer glitch changed a letter - that can happen on desktops which unlike servers don't usually have ECC memory.

You'd think with all their fancy technology they could scan the registration plate letters and numbers off the photo to trace the registered keeper and include a printout with the letter and form they send.

Anyway, at last today I received a reply.

"This office has considered the information noted by the Civil Enforcement Officer and it has been established that there is some technical irregularity pertaining to the issue of the Penalty Charge Notice.

On account of this finding, the Authority has decided to cancel the notice."

No apology.

No 'we made a mistake'.

No 'we will take steps to help prevent this recurring'.

No 'here's a refund of your postage and administrative costs'.

I will now definitely never ever go to Harrow.

I really feel sorry for you if you live there.

No apology.

No 'we made a mistake'.

No 'we will take steps to help prevent this recurring'.

No 'here's a refund of your postage and administrative costs'.

Welcome to the attitude local councils have I guess. You should investigate that other Polo though!