The parking fines you may not have to pay - and what to do if you get a ticket

It is a sinking feeling known to many drivers.

Returning to your car only to find a little yellow sticker is on the windscreen, which means a fine is on the way.

But, one legal expert has pointed out that not all parking fines actually have to be paid.

Peter Goodchild, a solicitor and Associate Professor at the University of Law, has issued advice to help drivers understand what their rights are when it comes to fines.

The professor says that if you receive a Penalty Charge Notice, or an Excess Charge Notice, and it should be written clearly on the ticket, then it should not be ignored.

These tickets are issued for parking illegally on somewhere such as a High Street and are backed by the full force of the law.

‘You have 28 days to challenge or pay either of these fines, and if you do so within 14 days and your challenge is rejected, there’s a chance you will only have to pay 50% of the amount – so don’t wait,’ says the professor.

However, some of these can be appealed, for such things as proving that road markings were unclear or there was no way of finding a parking meter that worked.

Professor Goodchild also told drivers to be aware of what sort of tickets they have been issued with.

A Parking Charge Notice, might not be as enforceable as other tickets.

These kind of PCNs are often issued by hospitals and supermarkets and ‘are not as easy to enforce as those distributed on public land’, he said.

However, he warned drivers still take these kind of tickets seriously.

And he added there are several ways to avoid getting tickets – or at least help you appeal the situation.

These include taking pictures to back up your argument, double check the rules and document any confusing legal points.

And there is one final piece of advice – never park with wheels on the pavement, that is always an offence.