How Can I Challenge A Purbeck PCN?
This blog serves to answer the question “How Can I Challenge A Purbeck PCN?” It is necessary for you to prepare for challenging your Purbeck PCN in advance as evidence cannot be recovered from the traffic violation scene after getting your Penalty Charge Notice. Your Parking, Bus Lane or Moving Traffic PCN can only be disputed by mentioning authentic mitigating circumstances or by stating that the traffic violation never occurred.
How Can I Challenge A Purbeck PCN?
You can challenge a Purbeck PCN by visiting the Dorset council website and filling in the online formal representation form after entering your PCN number and vehicle registration number. You also need to attach some evidence of your arguments to help the authorities in understanding your situation, which can be uploaded to your computer from external sources.
The Isle of Purbeck is a part of Dorset Council, which is the administrative division responsible for enforcing Parking, Bus Lane, and Moving Traffic contraventions in the non metropolitan district. The CCTV cameras and Civil Enforcement Officers of the Dorset Council observe the parking zones, streets, and roads of Yew tree ward for catching any breach of contravention codes enforced in the Isle of Purbeck.
You can only submit a formal representation to a Penalty Charge Notice served in the Isle of Purbeck online on the Dorset Council website. It is recommended that you first type in the contents of your appeal in a word processing software such as MS word to edit the text for clarity and for eliminating any reasons which do not conform to the established grounds for contesting the relevant contravention code.
If you argue your case by telling the council that you had forgotten about the restriction enforced at the location or by mentioning that you were in a hurry, your PCN challenge will be wasted.
Such arguments can also not be backed by any evidence, which is the most important aspect of your Purbeck PCN appeal. This formal representation is a legal defence of your actions as a driver at the scene where you were issued the PCN, and it is not a casual explanation of your spontaneous actions at the location.
The most easily obtainable form of evidence to use with your Purbeck PCN challenge is video footage which shows your mitigating circumstances (unforeseeable events or forces which prevented you from driving correctly) or demonstrates how the traffic violation never occurred.
You can ask a passenger (regularly) travelling with you to use a digital camera to film your driving actions and for showing the route taken by you while driving your car. Once this video captures the moment of your traffic contravention, you have got the evidence you need to upload with your Purbeck PCN challenge.
In many cases, PCNs are not enforceable and you may be able to win your case and avoid having to pay your fine.
You could begin the process by speaking to an online solicitor for as little as £5.
What is a Penalty Charge Notice?
A Penalty Charge Notice is a monetary penalty issued to drivers or motorists for committing certain traffic contraventions including violating Parking, Bus Lane and Moving Traffic restrictions. A PCN is issued for failing to follow Parking zone, bus lane enforcement and moving traffic restrictions mentioned in the Road Traffic Act 1984 and the Traffic Management Act 2004.
A penalty charge notice can be handed to you by a Civil Enforcement Officer or dispatched to your (DVLA) residential address by post. CCTV cameras and Civil Enforcement Officers observe traffic contraventions before a violation is detected and the vehicle is charged with a PCN.
A PCN might also be issued for failing to pay road charges on time. You have 28 days to decide how and if you would like to challenge your Penalty Charge Notice. After 28 days if you have neither paid nor challenged your PCN, you will be sent a charge certificate from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.
If you don’t challenge a PCN, you should pay the fine within 28 days, otherwise, its amount will increase by 50%. A £70 PCN will be worth £105 if you pay it in the 14 days after receiving your charge certificate.
Can I Only Challenge A Purbeck PCN on the Dorset Council website?
Yes, you can only challenge a Purbeck PCN on the Dorset Council’s Parking Portal.
You need to brainstorm reasons for challenging a Purbeck PCN from the day of the incident and list them down in word processing software or on paper. It is essential to have some authentic evidence to attach with your PCN appeal in the form of video footage of the traffic violation, medical certificates explaining your mitigating circumstances, or pay and display tickets.
The evidence must be matched with the grounds for your appeal before describing the incident from your point of view. Your rough formal representation can be edited for clarity multiple times before it is ready to attach to your online appeal to the Dorset Council.
Your Purbeck PCN appeal can be initiated by clicking here. On this webpage you will see a chat window with the chatbot max. You need to interact with the chatbot by providing your PCN Number and Vehicle Registration Number. Once these details are verified by the virtual assistant, you can type in your PCN appeal with relevant reasons and evidence (which can be uploaded to the system).
You can view CCTV camera footage of your traffic contravention before constructing your PCN appeal. The reasons for you disputing the PCN can be typed into a word processing software first and related to the text of the relevant traffic contravention code as well as to the specific material evidence you plan to use in your appeal.
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It is essential to upload authentic evidence material with your PCN challenge to describe your mitigating circumstances to Dorset Council and for explaining your point of view of the events which took place at the traffic violation scene. The text of your appeal must state the relevant contravention code on your PCN and explain how you attempted to avoid the error (supported by photos or video footage).
Most video players such as VLC player allow you to slow down your video frame by frame and thus take ( a collection of) snapshots to attach with your Purbeck Council PCN challenge. The text of your appeal must state the relevant contravention code on your PCN and explain how you attempted to avoid the error (supported by photos or video footage).
Once you have proofread your appeal to eliminate any reasons for your challenge which might convey a disregard for traffic contravention codes enforced in Dorset Council (by mixing up the contraventions) or reasons which involve forgetfulness to justify your actions, you can submit the formal representation.
How much is the PCN fine for each of the 3 kinds of PCNs served in the Isle of Purbeck?
A Parking PCN in the Isle of Purbeck is served for violating higher or lower level parking restrictions. You have to pay £70 for committing a higher level parking contravention and £50 for a lower level parking contravention. If you pay the parking fine within 14 days, you will just be paying £35 or £25 as a 50% discount is applicable to your payment.
For failing to comply with a bus lane contravention code or a moving traffic restriction in the Isle of Purbeck, you will be charged a £70 Penalty Charge Notice. The 50% early payment discount reduces both these types of PCN fines to £35 if a bus lane PCN is paid within 21 days and a moving traffic PCN is paid within 14 days
How Can I Pay my Purbeck PCN fine?
You can pay your Purbeck PCN fine on the Dorset Council’s parking pcn payments page or by calling Dorset Council’s automated payments hotline.
If you choose to make your Purbeck PCN fine payment online, you should visit the Dorset council website. After opening this webpage you can enter your PCN number and Vehicle Registration number. You need to click on “Search” to search for your PCN details in the Dorset Council’s online database. After selecting to pay your PCN, you will need to enter your payment card details. The Dorset Council accepts Mastercard, Visa Card, Maestro Card and Visa Electron card for PCN fine payments.
You can also call on Dorset Council’s automated payments hotline for paying your Purbeck PCN. To pay by this method, you have to call on 0300 7900 545. On the call, you will need to enter your PCN number and your payment card details. You can use the * key to enter the letters in your PCN number. This payment hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You should wait to receive a confirmation code for your PCN payment before ending the call.
What will happen if I don’t pay my Dorset PCN within the 28-day limit?
You should not ignore traffic contraventions or the Penalty Charge Notices resulting from them or cultivate a careless attitude towards driving in the Isle of Purbeck. As per your driving license rules, you are bound to abide by Parking, Bus Lane and Moving Traffic contravention codes in the Isle of Purbeck.
If you neither pay your Purbeck PCN within 28 days nor decide to appeal against it, you will be sent a charge certificate from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. The charge certificate increases your PCN fine by 50%, which means you will be paying £105 (or £75) now. You should pay the charge certificate within 14 days as it cannot be appealed and ignoring the charge certificate may result in the filing of a court order (for recovery of debts) against you by Dorset Council.
You will be sent a “Notice of Debt Registration” and a witness certificate from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, if you don’t pay the charge certificate amount within 14 days. The unpaid amount will be treated as a debt with the Traffic Enforcement Centre at the Northampton County Court.
The court order for debt recovery enforces that the charge certificate amount must be paid in full within 21 days or the county court will have to use additional powers to recover the money from your possession which means employing Enforcement Agents to (contact you or) visit your personal premises.
Can I Dispute A Purbeck PCN with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal if the Dorset Council dismisses my appeal?
Yes, you can dispute the decision of the Dorset Council in your “Notice of Rejection of Representations” with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal website requires you to enter details given on your Notice of Rejection of Representations, after opening this webpage
You can watch this instructional video here to learn about your challenge process. The video clearly explains how to use the online service offered by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. On the Traffic Penalty Tribunal webpage, you will first have to select the type of PCN you were served by the Dorset Council (shown on the bottom part of the page) .
After clicking on your specific type of Penalty Charge Notice, you should select “England” (Outside London). In the window which opens up, you should click on the orange box which reads “If you don’t agree with the PCN, you can make representations against it” .
After viewing the instructions on the following page, you need to click on “Start your appeal here” at the bottom of the webpage You will then be required to enter your Vehicle Registration Number, the reference number from the “Notice of Rejection” letter from the Dorset Council, and your PCN number for which the appeal was rejected on this page.
You can use the online service to challenge multiple “Notices of Rejection” simultaneously. You will require a valid email address to create an account on the Traffic Penalty Tribunal website. You have to upload a copy of your “Notice of Rejection of Representations” letter to your application by using the Traffic Penalty Tribunal’s online portal.
You can upload evidence such as video clips of your traffic violation scenes (taken from inside your vehicle), medical certificates from a certified General Practitioner, maps of the area showing the exact distance your vehicle travelled inside a no entry zone and scanned copies of “pay and display” tickets. You should construct a strong appeals case to communicate your mitigating circumstances or to deliver your assertion that the traffic violation never occurred.
The Traffic Penalty Tribunal should be able to ascertain the legitimacy of your situation by viewing evidence material uploaded to the PCN appeals system.
Your appeal of the “Notice of Rejection of Representations” should be submitted to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal within 28 days of receiving your Notification of Rejection from Dorset Council. You must avail this chance of a free and independent hearing of your case.
You will be able to contact the Traffic Penalty Tribunal adjudicator during the formulation of your appeal. The result of your appeal will be communicated to you within 14-28 days of submitting your representation. If the adjudicator decides the case in your favour, the PCN will be cancelled by the Dorset Council.
Conclusion
This blog post addressed the question “How Can I Challenge A Purbeck PCN?” You have to clearly prove that your PCN was served in error by the CEO or CCTV camera and mention authentic mitigating circumstances which made you breach the contravention code. If you are focused while driving, it will be easier for you to avoid getting a PCN which cannot be successfully challenged,
