Southwark Code 51 PCN Appeal (2026)

1. What does Southwark Code 51 mean?

Code 51 means that your vehicle is alleged to have passed a no-entry sign from the prohibited direction. It commonly concerns entering the exit of a one-way road, but no-entry signs can also restrict an individual junction or a route admitting only the vehicles identified on an exception plate.

The allegation is about passing the sign, not parking or causing an obstruction. An empty road or a short journey beyond the sign does not itself answer it. Check the complete description on the PCN: a no-entry sign is different from a no-motor-vehicles sign or a separate allegation of driving against a one-way instruction.

This guide covers a civil Penalty Charge Notice. The authority must have the relevant enforcement powers for the restriction and area; a police notice follows a different process.

Contravention

Code 51: failing to comply with a no entry sign

Issuing authority

London Borough of Southwark

Formal representation deadline

28 days beginning with service of the PCN.

Penalty and discount

Use the charge and discount printed on your PCN; the applicable amount depends on the notice and contravention date.

Initial discount

The initial 50% discount applies during the first 14 days beginning with the date of the PCN. A challenge does not automatically extend that period. Check the council's policy and any renewed offer in its reply.

Appeal route

Southwark, then London Tribunals after a formal Notice of Rejection.

2. What must Southwark establish?

The evidence needs to connect your vehicle, its direction of travel and the sign at the prohibited entry point. A photograph showing the back of a sign or a different approach cannot, on its own, show what the driver could see.

The no-entry sign is a red circular disc with a horizontal white bar: diagram 616, TSRGD Schedule 3 Part 2 item 10. It means no entry for vehicular traffic from the direction facing the sign. A red ring containing a motorcycle and car is a different restriction.

A supplementary plate can identify an exception for cycles, buses, local buses, buses and cycles, local buses and cycles, or trams. Read the actual plate rather than assuming that an exception at another entrance applies here.

The NO ENTRY road marking can supplement the upright sign. Its absence does not, by itself, invalidate a properly signed no-entry restriction. The signs should make clear which entrance is prohibited before the driver commits to it.

• The restriction applied: check the operative order, map or other legal basis against the road, direction and date. Temporary restrictions need evidence of when and where they operated. Older signs may have a saved legal basis which also needs checking.
• The sign faced the relevant approach: compare the CCTV with dated photographs showing its position, orientation and any exception plate. Signs indicating the start of a restriction must be as near as practicable to that point.
• The entrance was adequately signed: check visibility before the turn, obstruction by vehicles or street furniture, and confusing combinations of road-closure and directional signs. There is no universal requirement for two no-entry signs.
• Night-time requirements were met: direct lighting depends on the road speed, proximity to street lighting and the conditions in TSRGD. Temporary roadworks signs and bollard-mounted signs need their own checks; an unlit sign is not automatically defective.
• The prohibited movement occurred: the full recording should establish that the identified vehicle passed the sign in the prohibited direction. Being filmed elsewhere on the road is not the same evidence as the entry itself.
• The correct person is liable: check ownership, any qualifying hire arrangement and the notice history under the applicable enforcement scheme.

3. Grounds and exemptions for a Southwark Code 51 appeal

Build the representation around the evidence that is wrong, missing or inconsistent. A missed sign and a sign that could not adequately be seen are different arguments.

An 'Except cycles' plate does not permit a car to enter. Similarly, a bus exception does not become a taxi, private-hire or residents' exception. Match the vehicle to the sign and the applicable legal provision.

A delivery, nearby home, Blue Badge, passenger drop-off or satnav instruction does not itself authorise entry. If you rely on police directions, emergency use or another legal exception, identify the provision and provide evidence of the circumstances and its conditions.

Roadworks do not automatically authorise a prohibited entry. Where barriers and signs appeared to direct you into the restriction, show the complete layout and the point at which another route could have been chosen. Reversing through the entry is not a general exemption either.

The authority can consider mitigation even where no legal ground applies. Explain the circumstances and ask for discretion, but keep that request separate from an evidence-based ground: the London adjudicator cannot cancel a PCN solely because the circumstances are sympathetic.

• The vehicle did not make the alleged entry: identify the route actually taken, any gap in the recording or a registration mismatch.
• The sign was obscured or misleading on your approach: show the driver's view before the entry, including roadworks, competing instructions and the last available alternative route.
• The restriction did not cover this movement: point to the relevant order schedule, map, direction, commencement or temporary operating conditions.
• A genuine exception applied: provide the applicable provision, vehicle classification and evidence that its conditions were satisfied.
• There is a liability or notice problem: supply dated ownership or qualifying hire documents, or identify the precise defect under the applicable scheme.
• The handling of your representation was unfair: retain submission and response dates, acknowledgements and the explanation for delay. A London response beyond three months is not an automatic statutory cancellation.

4. How to make a formal representation to Southwark

Send formal representations to Southwark within 28 days beginning with service of the Code 51 PCN. Explain the ground relied upon and attach the evidence supporting it.

The initial 50% discount applies during the first 14 days beginning with the date of the PCN. A challenge does not automatically extend that period. Check the council's policy and any renewed offer in its reply.

1. Open Southwark's PCN service below. Enter the PCN reference (prefix JK) and vehicle registration to find the notice and evidence.
2. Use the council-linked PCN portal and enter the full ticket reference and vehicle registration. The portal is for Southwark notices beginning JK; some references end in A.
3. The same portal provides evidence viewing and a challenge route. Review the evidence before selecting the challenge option.
4. For a postal moving-traffic PCN, Southwark accepts representations in response to the PCN itself. Use the representation route on that notice rather than waiting for a Notice to Owner.
5. Explain which part of the Code 51 allegation you dispute. Include the PCN reference, vehicle registration, your address and copies of photographs or records supporting each point.
6. Save the full submission, attachments and dated acknowledgement.

5. How long does Southwark have to respond?

London Tribunals says the authority "should normally respond to representations within 3 months". Keep Southwark's acknowledgement and the date your representations were received.

6. If Southwark rejects your representation

A formal Notice of Rejection explains Southwark's decision and how to appeal to London Tribunals. You have 28 days beginning with service of that notice to pay or register your tribunal appeal.

Compare the reply with the Code 51 grounds and evidence you submitted. Identify any unanswered point, missing evidence or inconsistency between the restriction and the recorded event. Keep the rejection notice and the appeal details supplied with it.

7. Taking your Southwark appeal to London Tribunals

London Tribunals is independent of Southwark. Use the registration instructions and verification details in the Notice of Rejection, upload your evidence and explain why the alleged Code 51 contravention or liability is disputed.

There is no fee to register the appeal. If it is refused, the full penalty is normally payable; an earlier discount does not automatically continue. If registering late, explain the delay so the adjudicator can decide whether to accept the appeal.

Read Southwark's evidence pack and respond to the points relevant to your case. Keep to the tribunal's directions and evidence deadlines.

2025 London Tribunals results: shared context

102 of 378 recorded cases were allowed (27.0%).

Full Code 51 PCN Appeal Guide

Read the detailed legislation, signage requirements, exemptions and case analysis for this contravention.