Hi All,
I was wondering if anyone could help me.
A couple of months ago, I received a letter from the
bailiffs
(notification of Unpaid Penalty Charge), saying that I owed them £740 for two parking tickets that I first heard of.
What must have happened is that I moved from one address to the other and I only re-registered my car 6 months after. They must have used my old address and the landlord just did not notify me of the incoming mail. Still, the car has been re-registered to my current address back in November, the tickets are dated last June, but the first time I heard of it was in May!!
I filed PE2/PE3 forms and put the following reasons, quoting 'I did not receive any notices from Ealing Council since the date of contravention. The first notice I received was dated 7 May 2008 from Collection Services'.
Today I received a notice from Northampton
county court
informing me that my application has been refused with no reason given. I am now thinking of filing
N244
form, and need your advice:
1. What evidence do I need to supply? I understand that I was a bit wrong here, since I forgot to re-register my car on time, but the penalty seems grossly excessive (the notional amount of these two tickets is just £80!) I really did not receive any mail regarding these tickets, and I normally pay such stuff in the first week.
2. What happens after I file N244? Is the
bailiff
collection process paused until the court decides on my apellation? How long will it take?
3. Am I potentially exposing myself to a possibility of higher fine (upto £5000) from DVLA for not re-registering a car on time? Should I just forget it and pay the damn £740 instead?
4. How come the amount on the
bailiff
's claim is so huge - the tickets are just £80?
5. Is it legal by the Council to fine me for the same offence twice (parking on zig-zag, happened on the same day within 3 hours' time?)
Any help will be appreciated. I am at a real loss.
Thanks,
fatcatsat