How Can I Challenge A Shropshire PCN?
This blog serves to answer the question “How Can I Challenge A Shropshire PCN?” The aim of your formal representation to the Shropshire Council is to prove that the traffic contravention never happened or to explain the mitigating circumstances which caused you to breach the relevant Parking, Bus Lane or Moving Traffic restriction. This blog contains instructions on how to recover your impounded vehicle from the custody of the West Mercia Police.
How Can I Challenge A Shropshire PCN?
You can challenge a PCN served in Shropshire Council by composing a written appeal backed by evidence such as maps, photographs, or eyewitness statements and sending it in by post to the council.. This appeal written by hand should mention the relevant traffic contravention according to the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1984 or the Traffic Management Act 2004.
After stating the contravention code, you can dispute the PCN by using the established grounds for contesting a Parking, Bus Lane or Moving Traffic PCN. You should only mention those grounds for your PCN appeal which can be backed by authentic evidence material, as the purpose of your formal representation is to deliver your point of view of the incident to the Shropshire Council.
Another quicker and more efficient (for attaching evidence) way for challenging a Shropshire PCN is by using the official website. If you have access to a personal computer or laptop, you can easily maintain a folder with photos and videos of your vehicle journeys as well as scanned copies of pay and display tickets. These can be instantly uploaded to the Shropshire online PCN appeals page to support the grounds for your appeal.
The text of your PCN challenge can first be composed in a word processing software to refine your message for clarity and to ensure that you have eliminated any reasons which mention forgetfullness to explain your actions at the traffic violation scene or any reasons which communicate a lack of awareness of the restriction in place.
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. Traffic contraventions are observed by CCTV cameras and Civil Enforcement Officers 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.
What is the procedure for appealing against a Shropshire PCN?
You can submit a formal representation to your Shropshire PCN by writing a letter addressed to the Shropshire Council or by filling in the online formal representation form on the website..
You need to brainstorm reasons to challenge a Shropshire 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 Shropshire Council. You need to visit the Shropshire Council website to submit a formal representation to your PCN. You have to open this webpage for entering your PCN number, Vehicle Registration Number, and a Web Code mentioned on your Penalty Charge Notice. You need to click on “Continue” to view your PCN details before filling in the online appeals form.
It is essential to upload authentic evidence material with your PCN challenge to describe your mitigating circumstances to the Shropshire 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).
Once you have proofread your appeal to eliminate any reasons for your challenge which might convey a disregard for traffic contravention codes enforced in Shropshire Council (by mixing up the contraventions) or reasons which involve forgetfulness to justify your actions, you can submit the formal representation.
You can also submit an informal representation to your Shropshire PCN (CCTV Bus Lane PCN or a Parking PCN served by a CEO which had to be delivered by post) by accessing your PCN details here. To access the form you need to enter your PCN number and vehicle registration number on this page.
You have to fill out the informal representation form by typing your full name, email address, and the contents of your informal representation. Once you are sure that you have constructed a strong appeals case to make the council grant you a formal representation, you can submit your form. The informal appeals stage is applicable to PCNs sent by post.
Another way to send in your Shropshire PCN challenge is by mail. You can write down a formal representation on paper and attach evidence documents or photographs to the form using a stapler or paper clip. Your letter should mention your PCN number, date of issue of the PCN, your vehicle registration number, and personal details.
Evidence to support your formal representation can be attached to the form using a stapler or paper clip. Your PCN appeals form and all accompanying evidence documents (enclosed in an envelope) need to be sent to:
Shropshire Parking Service,
PO Box 4751,
Shrewsbury,
SY1 9GL
What Can I Do If My Vehicle has been towed away?
If your vehicle has been towed away from Shropshire Council you need to call 101 to ask the West Mercia Police about the matter. On the call you should ask the West Mercia Police about the exact location of your vehicle by providing your vehicle registration number
If your vehicle was towed away for violating your driving license rules, you should have received a form 3078 (seizure notice) by post. Your inquiry will be addressed by the West Mercia Police staff and you will be redirected to the Shrewsbury Police Station to get it released. The Shrewsbury Police station will guide you to the West Mercia Police’s vehicle recovery operator Cotswold Recovery Ltd.
At the Shrewsbury Police Station you will be required to verify 2 kinds of ID documents such as a passport and a driving licence. You could also use 2 other combinations of documents such as your original birth certificate and your vehicle registration certificate. You should also have the insurance certificate for your vehicle and your V5C vehicle registration certificate (with you) unless this has already been used as one of the 2 ID documents.
Vehicles are seized by the West Mercia Police under Section 165 A or the Road Traffic Act 1988 due to a violation of your driving license rules. You must remember to visit Shrewsbury Police Station within 7 days of the date mentioned on your form 3078. The amount of money you will need to unclamp your vehicle includes a £200 release fee and storage charges of £20 per day. So for example if your vehicle was towed away by a parking company 3 days ago, you will need (£20×3) + £200 = £260 to get it released from the vehicle pound. This vehicle release and storage charges are set under The Road Traffic Act 1998 (Retention and Disposal of Seized Motor Vehicles).
You should pay your Shropshire Parking PCN online before collecting the vehicle from the Carterton vehicle pound operated by Cotswold Vehicle Recovery Ltd.. But even if you just have £200 or £260 with you (for leaving your vehicle in the pound for up to 3 days), you can still pay the amount at the vehicle pound and claim your vehicle. It is more important to collect your vehicle from Cotswold Vehicle Recovery Ltd. than to pay your PCN fine because storage fees of £20 are being added every day and your vehicle will no longer be in the vehicle pound after 14 days.
As you will have to pay your Shropshire Parking PCN within 14 days when you are recovering your impounded vehicle, it will cost you only £35. Your vehicle pound charges can vary so it is best to get it removed from there as soon as possible. For each week your vehicle is left in the pound you will have to pay £140 extra storage charges.
Once you contact the West Mercia Police by dialling 101 and tell them your vehicle registration number you will be guided to your nearest Cotswold Vehicle Recovery service vehicle pound for recovering your impounded vehicle. Cotswold Vehicle Recovery Stations are located at Carterton (01993 845930) and Highworth (01793 296004)
You will have to make the payment to release your vehicle from the Cotswold Vehicle Recovery pound by visiting the location in person with at least £200 in cash or available as credit on your payment card. Cotswold Vehicle Recovery accepts Visa Card, Master Card, Maestro Card, and Solo Card for the payment of vehicle release and storage charges.
Shrewsbury Police Station is located at this address :
Clive Road,
Monkmoor,
Shrewsbury,
SY2 5RW
Cotswold Vehicle Recovery Ltd Carterton vehicle pound is located at this address:
CVR House,
Ventura Business Park,
Broadshires Way,
Carterton,
Oxfordshire OX18 1AA
You need to book an appointment for collecting your vehicle before you visit the Cotswold Vehicle Recovery station at Carterton by calling 01993 845930. You can visit Cotswold Vehicle Recovery pound located at Carterton, Oxfordshire between 09:00 am and 4:00 pm from Monday to Friday.
You can visit the Shrewsbury Police Station between 08:00 am and 06:30 pm from Monday to Saturday. Hereford Police Station is also open on Sundays from 10:00am to 04:00pm. Your vehicle will be released once all the required (original) documents have been verified and approved.
These include the 2 ID Documents, a copy of form 3078, your vehicle’s MOT certificate, and your vehicle registration certificate (if this is not your ID document). After all these documents have been verified at the Shrewsbury Police Station, your vehicle seizure notice will be stamped to authorise the release of the vehicle.
If your vehicle has been towed away you need to go to the Cotswold vehicle pound at Carterton Town with a cash payment or payment card for payment of vehicle release charges and any vehicle storage expenses (incurred by the vehicle pound).You also need to take the stamped vehicle seizure notice with you to free your vehicle.
You must remember to recover your vehicle within 7 days from the vehicle pound. If you leave it there for more than 14 days the car might be scrapped or sold.
How much is the PCN fine for each of the 3 kinds of PCNs served in Shropshire Council?
A Parking PCN in Shropshire Council 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 Shropshire Council, 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 a PCN in Shropshire Council?
You can pay a PCN in Shropshire Council on the online payments page or by calling on the Shropshire Council automated payments hotline.
If you prefer to make your PCN fine payment online, you can visit the Shropshire Council website. After opening this webpage you need to click on “Pay Online Now”. On the PCN Payments page, you need to enter your PCN number (Reference) and the amount of your PCN fine.
After this you can click on “Add to list”. You also have to select the payment card which you are using to pay your PCN. The Shropshire Council accepts Mastercard, Visa Card, Maestro Card and Visa Electron card for PCN fine payments. Diners card and American Express card are not accepted for making PCN payments.
For paying your PCN you will be asked for your payment card details. Once you have entered the credit or debit card information you can proceed to paying your fine. It must be noted that paying your Shropshire PCN eliminates any possibility for challenging the Penalty Charge Notice.
Your Shropshire PCN can also be paid by calling on the telephone payments service. You have to dial 0345 678 9009 and enter your PCN number by using a * sign for the letters in the code. After this you will have to enter your payment card details. This automated payments service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You should wait to receive a confirmation code before ending your call.
What will happen if I don’t pay my Shropshire 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 Shropshire Council. As per your driving license rules, you are bound to abide by Parking, Bus Lane, and Moving Traffic contravention codes in Shropshire Council.
If you neither pay your Shropshire 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 the Shropshire 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 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 Shropshire PCN with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal if the Shropshire Council dismisses my appeal?
Yes, you can dispute the decision of the Shropshire 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 Shropshire 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 Shropshire 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 the Shropshire Council. You must avail yourself of 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 Shropshire Council.
Conclusion
This blog post addressed the question “How Can I Challenge A Shropshire PCN?” You need to have a sound knowledge of the contravention codes enforced in Shropshire Council in order to avoid being handed a PCN for ignoring or disregarding the traffic restriction in place at the location. Evidence which has to be attached with your PCN challenge needs to be collected on a daily basis by filming videos of your road journeys with a digital camera and by saving your used pay and display tickets (for challenging a Parking PCN).