Hi, My mother has just received an FPN for littering. Judging by the dates and location, the offence could only have been disposing of a cigarette butt out of the car window whilst driving. They haven't however given her any details or evidence of her committing the crime, just when and where. I'm not here to deny that it could have been her, or justify it (I hate the fact she smokes anyway, maybe this will prompt her to stop), but if it was a person who saw it rather than it being captured on film: - it's an offence carried out by a lot of people - are they sure it was her cigarette and not the car in front? - could have been mistaken in thinking she dropped/was about to drop it if her hand was held near the window? Can she request what evidence they have before she pays? If she can be shown she did it, then that's of course fair and she won't try and worm her way out of it. But without evidence (such as you get with parking charges, bus lane fines, etc) - well, hopefully you can understand it's frustrating to be made to pay out for something you don't know for sure whether you did. Thank you for any help. Curt

Hi there, I've just realised this thread might be more appropriate in the "Local Authority Parking and Traffic Offences" sub-forum, if a moderator wouldn't mind moving it please? I've received a PCN for being in a bus lane that I want to appeal. I'm not trying to claim that ignorance is a valid excuse, however I wasn't aware I had been in a bus lane until the notice came through the door. It was an unfamiliar piece of road for me and there were a significant number of road works and closures which obviously did distract me from the sign (my own fault admittedly), but there were not (and aren't in the evidence) any markings on the floor whatsoever to indicate it is a bus lane. I haven't had chance to go back to the road, but from the looks of Google Street View (2014) there is a sign on either side of the road indicating it is for buses and cyclists only, but absolutely nothing on the ground (I can't link the exact street view due to low post count, sorry). The pictures on my PCN indicate the same lack of markings. Is this sufficient grounds to appeal as some sites I've read suggest? I've been looking all morning for any legislation I can quote that states what markings/indication should be present but I haven't been able to find anything - if such a thing exists, I'd be hugely grateful if someone would point me in the right direction. Any help generally is really appreciated. Thanks for reading, Curt

Hello. No it was paid for in cash as it wasn't particularly expensive - both second-hand and a basic notebook. My query isn't about getting the money back though, we can live without the money but what is infuriating me is the sheer cheek of pretending that he didn't make claims we all know he did. That's why I want to do what I can to make sure he does not continue to get away with it.

Hello and thank you for your response. Unfortunately the man we've been dealing with is the owner and so there is no where to escalate the issue to. I haven't spoken to Trading Standards as of yet as I firstly went through Citizens Advice Consumer Line; however they weren't very helpful as they said the recording is irrelevant to my case (as it wasn't our initial conversation) and that's all they and a court case would be interested in. It's really no longer about the money and simply doing what I can to make sure he is reported. That makes me feel a bit better to hear someone else say that about the police. I had initially thought the same, but I know of people who have had police at their door following up on reports of the most petty of things so I just wanted to make sure.

Hello, I hope someone can help. My wife bought a second-hand laptop from a local, independent gadget store. Two months after she purchased it, it died. She had been told (in person) at the time of buying the laptop that they were all inspected before being resold and could be returned to the store if they stopped functioning within 12 months. But when trying to return the laptop, the same man who sold it to her claimed he didn't say such thing and is refusing to help. Obviously we should have got something on writing, etc; but that's not what I'm seeking advice on. Having also been present when the sale was made and also witnessing his verbal 'term', I was so insulted that he would then deny it to our faces at a later date. I decided to call up as a potential customer and enquire about a laptop, asking whether there was any sort of warranty period. I recorded the conversation, and low and behold he once again confirmed that laptops could be returned within 12 months. We made a formal complaint and his response was that no such term exists or has ever been made. I then offered him the recording to prove otherwise. Well as you can imagine, being framed like that didn't go down well and he informed me that he will be reporting me to the police. Even though I researched the legality beforehand and referred him to Ofcom's website stating that calls can be recorded without knowledge or consent so long as it isn't shared to third parties, he insisted I'd broken the law and he would be prosecuting me. So I have two questions really; 1) Have I broken the law? I haven't shared the recording with anyone apart from him. 2) The fact that I have proof he does induce customers with misleading information - this in itself being illegal - surely there is someone I can share this with? The way I look at it, programmes like Watchdog obtain secretly filmed footage of these sorts of things and they're allowed to be televised without the consent of the offending party; surely my circumstance too is in the public interest and can be reported to a relevant body? Thanks for any advice