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The Secret Traffic Warden: Three ways to challenge parking tickets… you could save £100s by saying the right thing
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A TRAFFIC warden has revealed three ways that you can challenge a parking ticket and get it cancelled.
The official, who works for a major London council, sat down with The Sun Online to share the inside secrets of his industry with motorists.
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He explained that he sees local authorities consistently cancelling Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) based on a trio of common grounds.
Many drivers might not know, but there are actually strict rules on issuing tickets, beyond the parking restrictions on the road, that wardens have to take heed of.
These mainly come down to the accuracy of the details of the penalty, which are vital to a successful charge.
Our source said: "One common ground for contesting a PCN is to check where the PCN was issued.
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"Each time a warden enters a new location, they should update their handheld [the tablet they use to issue fines].
"Often times, wardens will forget and if you see that the ticket has been issued at a location different to where your car is parked, I would urge you to contest the PCN.
"It will be cancelled because it's an invalid PCN."
A similar logic applies to the registration number recorded on your charge notice.
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Our warden claimed that his colleagues can often mistake letters and numbers, particularly the letter O and number 0 or letter I and number 1.
That means that your number plate can be noted down wrong in the fine, again invalidating it.
If you spot any such error, make an appeal to your local council and they should cancel it.
Finally, a very little-known fact is that wardens can only issue tickets after a certain "grace period" has passed.
Our warden added: "On a yellow line, my handheld will allow me to print out a PCN after two minutes.
"If you're vehicle is larger...you are supposed to be given a longer period to load or unload."
As such, if you feel that you haven't been given long enough as a grace period, you can appeal the ticket.
The times allowed can change by area, so the warden advised checking your council's website or contacting them directly to get proper information on how long you are allowed to stay on yellow lines.
It comes after the same secret warden revealed where you are most at risk of getting a ticket, with parents warned of huge fines just for picking up their kids.
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