If it's any help, I did actually get off a parking ticket under similar circumstances ... I was at a hotel and to use the parking you had to enter your REG on some swipe screen thingy. I entered it wrong, only realised it when I got the ticket. In my appealI said the swipe screen wasn't working properly and that it didn't put the characters in. I asked them to give details of any reg numbers entered that were similar to mine, and they seemed to give up and waived the ticket.

In a truly bizarre twist , in a letter dated 6 days after the letter cancelling the PCN , I have now received a DVD of evidence ( which wasn't accessible via the website ). It certainly shows a car ( possibly resembling mine ) getting stuck behind the lorry. I'm not posting it as it's 50mg and shows my plates , but in a nutshell : The Lorry was still moving in the box when the (ahem) vehicle behind enters the box. Because there's only enough space beyond the box for the lorry carries on across and stops, the vehicle behind stops in the position as shown. The CCTV op at that point zooms for the two pics. The traffic then clears and the CCTV op swivels 180 degrees and catches the vehicle on the open road and gets the other pic showing the rear plate. Of note is that when the camera swings round it loses the vehicle , and then picks it up about 10 secs later again. You don't really see the plate clearly enough in the box to identify until it stops behind the lorry and the CCTV op zooms in, at which point the plate is hidden as per the pic. So I wonder whether the "admin error" was 1) forgot to upload the CCTV footage to the TFL site ? 2) Fault in the appeal process description or 3) no clear ID of the car

Yes, how did they expect to get away with it ... but like you say I bet loads just pay up. Just as much of a **** take is the "sorry it was an admin error" reason for cancelling it. It's really quite a scandalous scattergun money harvesting exercise.

Got a PCN from TFL, stopping in the box junction of City rd and Graham rd, not far from Euston. No CCTV , and only 3 pictures ( attached ) 1. My car afterwards on normal piece of road with number plate visible 2 and 3 My car in the box junction stopped behind a bin lorry , you can't actually see my number plates. I lodged the following representation : ********************************** 1) The pictures on the notice do not show my vehicle on the box junction in any CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE way. The box junction picture merely shows a lorry, with what could be any vehicle behind it, almost completely obscured. This could be any vehicle. Please provide some additional evidence that CLEARLY IDENTIFIES my vehicle committing an offence, otherwise I consider this matter not proven. 2. Representation procedure. Your letter clearly states representations must be made in writing. However when calling your enquiries number on 28th Sept I am informed that representations can be made at this email address. In addition , your operative claims that no written representation was received, despite it being sent first class two days previously. I believe this is a deliberate attempt to obfuscate the appeal process. Please explain these anomalies in a satisfactory way. I attach a copy of the letter you have received ( despite claiming otherwise ). Please acknowledge receipt of this communication immediately, failure to do so will confirm my suspicions of your attempts to impede the appeals process. ***************************************************************** After two weeks I received the reply : "Due to an administration error, your PCN has been cancelled" Moral of the story, it's always worth a representation - it costs nothing, they but the ticket on hold so you can still pay the discount rate if it fails. I'm wondering whether my appeal grounds were 100% valid and this was just a "try on" from TFL, either way, never cough up straight away, that's for sure.