The evidence showed payment was still being attempted when the PCN was issued (2026)
Case 2250107244 / 2025-06-19 / Adjudicator Philippa Alderson
Grainges Multi Story Car Park
Philippa Alderson accepted that connectivity problems delayed an ongoing attempt to pay in a council car park. The later transaction supported that account rather than automatically cancelling an earlier PCN.
“I find it more likely than not that the Appellant was in the process of attempting to make payment to park when this PCN was issued.”
Philippa Alderson, case 2250107244
The driver explained that the parking app could not be accessed inside the car park because of poor connectivity. They left the vehicle to obtain a connection and described the time needed to reach it and enter the payment details.
The officer recorded four minutes of observation before issuing the PCN at 16:16. The payment system recorded payment at 16:27. Philippa Alderson considered that chronology alongside the driver's explanation.
The adjudicator accepted that the driver was still in the process of trying to pay when the PCN was issued. She allowed the appeal on that finding, taking account of the practical difficulties with the payment facility provided.
This case is useful where there is a continuous, evidenced payment attempt rather than payment made only after discovering a PCN. Keep the attempt, connection problem and successful transaction in sequence. The decision sets no fixed period in which all drivers may leave a vehicle unpaid.
Source and case reference
Search for 2250107244 in the London Tribunals register to read the decision. This case explains how the adjudicator assessed its evidence; another appeal depends on its own facts and applicable restriction.
Find the official decision