Camera misread your number plate
The roadside camera that caught the alleged offence reads number plates automatically, but it gets things wrong roughly 1 to 3 times in every 100 reads. It commonly muddles similar-looking characters: O and 0, I and 1, B and 8, S and 5. A dirty plate, shadow, glare, or a non-standard plate can all cause a misread. If the plate shown on the ticket does not actually match your vehicle's plate, or your car was somewhere else at the time, the ticket has been issued to the wrong person.
Legal basis
Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices) Regulations — devices must be type-approved; TMA 2004 s.78; Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 s.20; SI 2022/63
How to identify this in your case
Look at the photo on your Penalty Charge Notice and compare every single character of the plate shown against your actual registration — look especially for O/0, I/1, B/8 and S/5 mix-ups. If the plates do not match exactly, that is your evidence. If the plate does match but your car was elsewhere at the time, gather anything that places your vehicle at a different location — dashcam footage, your phone's location history, a toll or car park receipt, or a fuel receipt showing the time and place.
Sample appeal wording
Dear Sir/Madam, Re: PCN [NUMBER] — [DATE/TIME] I challenge this PCN. The vehicle photographed is not my vehicle. My vehicle: [REG], [MAKE/MODEL/COLOUR]. PCN photograph: [DESCRIBE — e.g. 'Plate appears to read [X] but mine is [Y]; vehicle make/colour does not match']. The ANPR system has misread the plate. Likely confusion: [O/0, I/1, B/8]. Further, I have evidence my vehicle was at [LOCATION] at [TIME]: - [Dashcam footage attached] - [Mobile phone location data attached] - [Toll/payment receipt attached] Under s.78 TMA 2004, a PCN may only be issued where the named vehicle has committed the contravention. The Council bears the burden of proof. Please cancel the PCN. Yours faithfully, [NAME]
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
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