CCTV Camera Not on the Government's Approved List
Only cameras that have been officially approved by the Secretary of State (a government minister) are allowed to be used for parking or moving-traffic enforcement. If the camera that caught you is not on that approved list, the footage it produced cannot legally be used as evidence against you. The council must be able to give you an approval reference number for the specific camera they used. If they cannot, the penalty charge notice is not supported by valid evidence.
Legal basis
Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices, Charging Guidelines and General Provisions) (England) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/71) regulation 4 — "A device is an approved device for the purposes of these Regulations if it is of a type which has been certified by the Secretary of State as one which meets requirements specified in Schedule 1" — and Schedule 1, which specifies those requirements.
How to identify this in your case
Check whether your penalty charge notice is based on CCTV or ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) camera footage. If it is, write to the council and ask for the Secretary of State approval reference number for the exact camera used — you can identify it by its location or device ID. Then check the approved devices list on GOV.UK to see if that camera appears. If the camera is not listed, or the council cannot provide the reference number, you have grounds to challenge the ticket on this basis.
Sample appeal wording
Sample wording to adapt and send yourself — it may not fit your notice or the stage you are at. Replace the bracketed prompts with your own details; leave any case citation as it is.
Dear Representations Team, Re: PCN [NUMBER] — device approval disclosure request This penalty charge notice relies on camera evidence. I make a formal disclosure request. Under regulation 4 of the Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices, Charging Guidelines and General Provisions) (England) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/71), "[a] device is an approved device for the purposes of these Regulations if it is of a type which has been certified by the Secretary of State as one which meets requirements specified in Schedule 1". I therefore request: 1. The device identifier or location reference of the camera that captured the alleged contravention. 2. The Secretary of State certification reference for that type of device. 3. Confirmation that the certification was in force on [DATE]. If the certification cannot be confirmed, the evidence was not produced by an approved device and I ask that the penalty charge notice be cancelled. Yours faithfully, [NAME]
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