We issue parking tickets, or penalty charge notices (PCNs), for traffic offences relating to:
- on-street parking
- car parks
- yellow lines
- resident parking
- road closures
- suspended parking
View a full list of parking contraventions that we deal with.
The Traffic Management Act 2004 lets us take over parking enforcement for these offences from the police.
See further information about PCNs:
How we issue PCNs
Civil enforcement officers issue PCNs on streets and in car parks.
PCNs must be either fixed to the vehicle or given to the person who appears to be in charge of the vehicle.
A PCN may be issued by post:
- when the officer has been prevented from issuing the PCN by violence, including abusive or intimidating behaviour, threats or physical force
- when the officer has started to issue the PCN but didn't have time to finish before the vehicle was driven away
- when the parking contravention has been detected using evidence from an approved device or camera
PCN costs
A PCN will be issued for £70 or £50 depending on the impact of your parking offence.
You can view a full list of parking contraventions that we deal with, which shows the level of fine for each contravention.
A reduction will be made if you pay your fine early:
- if you pay within 14 days you get a 50% discount
- after 14 days the full amount will be payable
- the day the ticket is issued counts as day 1 of the 14 day period
If you receive a PCN
If you are issued with a PCN you should either pay the charge or make an objection within the initial 14 day period.
Your PCN will not progress to the next stage whilst an objection is being dealt with and will be put on hold pending a decision.
Once a decision has been made we'll either:
- cancel the PCN, if we agree with your objection
- give you a further 14 days from the receipt of our letter to pay at the discount rate, if you still have to pay
If you ignore a PCN
PCNs are enforced through the civil justice system, rather than the criminal justice system.
Do not ignore parking tickets as you may get extra penalties if you don't pay or object promptly.
If you ignore PCNs issued, you risk the clamping and removal of your vehicle and you will then become liable for further costs:
- cost of clamping: £40
- cost of removal: £105
If we receive no contact or payment during the 28 day period after the PCN was issued, we'll contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to obtain the name and address of the registered keeper of a vehicle.
We then send a legal document known as a 'Notice to Owner' to the registered keeper.
If a PCN is not paid or we receive no contact after a Notice to Owner has been issued, then the PCN will progress to the later recovery stages, with confirmation issued to the registered keeper:
The registered keeper is liable whether or not they were the driver at the time the PCN was issued.