Camera footage too unclear to read your plate
For a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) based on camera footage to be valid, your registration plate must be clearly readable in that footage. If the image is blurred, poorly lit, or partly blocked, the council cannot prove the charge relates to your specific vehicle. Asking for the original footage often uncovers quality problems that aren't obvious in the still photos sent to you.
Legal basis
Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices) Regulations 2022; standard of proof requirements; Traffic Penalty Tribunal case law on evidence sufficiency
How to identify this in your case
Request the full video footage (not just stills) under Subject Access Request and/or informal evidence request. Examine whether the plate can be read from the footage without enhancement. If enhancement was used, challenge on the basis that the original unaided footage is insufficient.
Sample appeal wording
Dear Representations Team, Re: PCN [NUMBER] — Evidential Quality Challenge I formally challenge this PCN on the basis that the camera evidence is of insufficient quality to prove the alleged contravention. I have examined the still images/footage provided. The vehicle registration plate is not clearly legible due to [blur / poor lighting / partial obstruction / low resolution]. I request the full original video footage in its unedited, unenhanced form. A contravention cannot be proved unless the vehicle registration is positively identifiable from original footage. If the council cannot provide footage of sufficient quality, the PCN must be cancelled. Yours faithfully, [NAME]
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
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- Traffic Penalty Tribunal guidance on evidence
- https://www.londontribunals.gov.uk/adjudicators/guidance