Ghost watchers in the sky (and ghost parking tickets in your mail)

Over at both the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph, a story about the use of CCTV to record alleged offences, for which parking tickets are issued months after the supposed event.  The AA points out that

because drivers are unaware of their alleged offence for some time afterwards.

'These tickets are very hard to challenge because drivers are in no position to check the roadside signs or whether the ticket was issued by mistake.'

Furthermore,

the cameras cannot tell an illegally parked car from one with a disabled permit, or from a car that has been briefly stopped so the driver can consult a map.

As research from our friends at the TaxPayers' Alliance pointed out, an eye-watering £328 million was taken from the public in parking fines last year, at least some of which will have been raised in this way.

The reason that the state does this is that it works - and it works because we allow it to.  Back in September, I wrote over at Human Events about one of the strongest assets the bullying state has - the fact that the bureaucracy generally cares more about these issues than we do, so we - busy living lives and earning a living and so on - just pay up because "it's not worth the hassle".

But it doesn't have to be this way.  If you get a ticket like this, think about contesting it.  And get in touch with us.  If we can help you, we will.

By Alex Deane

Comments

[LeChiffre]

If, because of the time lapse between the alleged contravention and receipt of the ticket you can't remember what happened or are in no position to check the roadside signs or whether the ticket was issued by mistake, then you should contest the ticket on that basis or on those or other grounds: if, as is likely, the council refuses to respond satisfactorily (you should contact them immediately on receipt of the ticket) then you should promptly (emphasis on 'promptly') make an application to the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service here: http://www.parkingandtrafficappeals.gov.uk/

I took Wandsworth LB to the the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service and won.

@ Alex "If you get a ticket like this, think about contesting it." Quite right!