Camera Misread Your Plate or Your Plate Was Copied
Automatic cameras (ANPR) can misread number plates — especially in poor light, at an angle, or when a plate is dirty or damaged. If the camera read the wrong plate and the parking charge notice (PCN) was sent to you by mistake, that is a complete defence and the ticket cannot stand. Separately, if someone else has copied your number plate and put it on their vehicle, you can prove your car was somewhere else at the time — that is also a complete defence.
Legal basis
Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Schedule 4 (keeper liability only arises where the vehicle was actually parked on the relevant land, and the notice must correctly specify the vehicle — para 9(2)(a)); Data Protection Act 2018 (pursuing a charge based on incorrect personal data)
How to identify this in your case
Check whether the PCN's vehicle description matches your vehicle. Check dashcam/telematics to confirm your vehicle's location at the time. If your vehicle was elsewhere, this is either an ANPR misread or a cloned plate — both are defences. Report a cloned plate to the police.
Sample appeal wording
Dear [Operator / Council], Re: PCN/Parking Charge Notice [NUMBER] — Vehicle Not Present I write to formally challenge this notice on the ground that my vehicle was not present at the stated location at the stated time. I attach evidence showing my vehicle's actual location at [TIME] on [DATE]: [describe evidence — dashcam GPS data showing location X / fuel receipt from location Y / photographs]. This notice is the result of an ANPR system misreading a registration plate. My vehicle's plate [REG] was not at your site. [If applicable: I have reported the matter to the police as a cloned plate — incident number X.] I require immediate cancellation and confirmation that my personal data obtained from the DVLA will be deleted. Yours faithfully, [NAME]
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
Beat It writes this argument automatically
Scan your PCN — our AI checks if this ground applies to your specific ticket, drafts a properly-cited appeal letter, and submits it to the council on your behalf. Only pay if you win.
Scan my ticketSources
- Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 sch.4
- ICO guidance on ANPR data