Parked in a permit area without displaying a permit

[Natedog]

Hi, 

I have previously been receiving advice from @b789 over on ftla here is the link to the thread

https://www.ftla.uk/private-parking-tick...-a-permit/

I have been allocated a court date in June. The claimant has until 12th May to pay the court fee and I have until the 14th May to submit my witness statement, which I intend to rely upon, to both the court and the claimant.

I am just looking for some help to prepare a good witness statement, in case DCB Legal proceed with the hearing. If anyone can help me with that, I’ll be truly grateful. Thanks.

[b789]

Hi @Natedog and welcome to the forum. I've had a chance to review your case over on FTLA and I still stand by my expectation that they will discontinue before they have to pay the £27 Trial fee.

I have not see the Notice of Allocation that would have had all the deadlines on it. Can you please show it to me. I'm assuming that if the Trial fee deadline is 11 May, the hearing date is set for Monday 8 June. I'm finding it a bit unusual that the deadline for your WS is 13 May. Normally it will either be 14 days before the hearing date or occasionally, before the Trial fee date.

Can you please confirm the date for submission of your WS. As it is unlikely that you will require one, I really don't want to waste much time on preparing one. However, if you don't receive a Notice of Discontinuance by Monday 11 May, then we still have a few days to throw one together.

[Natedog]

Hi @b789

Thank you for your reply. Yes, you are correct. The hearing is set for 8th June 2026. 
The claimant has till 4pm on the 11 May 2026 to pay the court trial fee of £27.00.

In the notice of allocation, it states both parties must send copies of witness statements and documents to the court and each other no later than 4pm on 13 May 2026. 

I have uploaded this document for you to see on the link below. Thanks.

https://ibb.co/tMHhNh7G

Also, here is a copy of Notice of Trial date. 

https://ibb.co/4R5wkGTd

[b789]

@Natedog, if this actually gets as far as a hearing, I will eat my hat.

Did you note the important part of the order:

Additional Directions in a contractual claim for breach of parking terms. The evidence which the Claimant must file at court and send to the Defendant must include:

  a. A copy of any written terms of the contract between the parties;
  b. A copy of the agreement by which the Claimant is authorised by the landowner to conduct parking operations on the land in question, redacted as necessary;
  c. Details of the location where the contract was made;
  d. If photographic evidence is relied upon, each image must be clear, in colour and A4 size;
  e. Detailed allegations of any breach of contract relied upon by the Claimant; and
  f. An explanation of how the amount of the alleged debt is calculated under the agreement.

That is a very useful order. The judge has not struck the claim out at this stage, but has effectively forced UKPC/DCB Legal to move beyond their usual vague template Particulars of Claim and actually prove the contractual claim they have brought.

That means they now have to provide the contractual terms relied upon, the landowner authority, the location where the alleged contract was supposedly formed, proper photographic evidence, detailed allegations of the alleged breach, and a proper explanation of how they say the claimed sum is calculated.

That matters because the defence I gave you already put them to task on the defective Particulars of Claim and their failure to plead the claim properly under CPR 16.4. The court has now given them the opportunity to fill in the gaps with evidence. Whether they can actually do so is another matter entirely.

Given this is a DCB Legal/UKPC claim, my expectation remains that they will discontinue before they have to pay the trial fee. Do not be surprised if they send an N279 Notice of Discontinuance on or before 11 May.

You may also receive a “without prejudice” settlement offer (letter/text/call) for a reduced or nominal amount. Do not treat that as generosity. It is the sign that they know the claim is weak and are trying to extract something before abandoning it.

For now, do not pay them, do not negotiate, and do not be intimidated by any last-minute nonsense. Keep everything they send, check whether they comply with the order, and be ready to deal with their evidence if they are stupid enough to continue.

[Natedog]

Ah yes, I did see that, but until you have pointed it out I didn’t realise how significant it was. 
I will keep checking online to see if a discontinuation has been submitted to the court. I will keep you updated. Thanks!

[Natedog]

Just out of curiosity, if they don’t pay the court fee by 4pm on Monday, does it instantly show up online when I look up the case details? Or will I have to ring up the civic centre to find out?

[b789]

@Natedog, there is nothing useful for you to check online. Once the case transfers to your local county court, the CNBC has nothing more to do with it. MCOL will not update further.

The practical thing to do is call the court on Tuesday 12 May and ask whether the Claimant paid the £27 trial fee by the 4pm deadline on Monday 11 May, and whether the hearing has been vacated or whether an N279 Notice of Discontinuance has been received.

In my experience of hundreds of DCB Legal-issued private parking claims over several years, they discontinue in over 99% of these cases. My expectation remains that the trial fee will not be paid and that they will issue an N279.

For now, there is not much you can do unless you have already received the Claimant’s witness statement and evidence, including all the additional information the judge specifically ordered them to provide. That includes the contractual terms, landowner authority, the alleged location where the contract was made, clear photographs, detailed allegations of breach, and an explanation of how the alleged debt is calculated.

If you have not received that evidence, then there is very little for you to respond to. Your defence was based on the fact that their Particulars of Claim were so poor that there was no properly pleaded case to answer. Unless they now serve the evidence required by the order, they still have not given you anything meaningful to defend.

If, by 13 May, you have not found out that the claim has been discontinued and you still have not received the Claimant’s witness statement with the additional information ordered by the judge, then you can submit a short witness statement simply stating that the Claimant has failed to comply with the court’s order, has failed to provide the required evidence, and that there is nothing further for you to answer. In those circumstances, you would invite the court to strike out or dismiss the claim.

We will cover that on Tuesday if necessary. I am away, but I will still be checking the forum daily.

[Natedog]

Perfect. I will ring them first thing Tuesday morning to see if the fee was paid, and go from there. Thanks!

[Natedog]

Good Morning,

I have spoken with the court this morning, and they have confirmed that the fee wasn’t paid by the deadline. I asked if the case had been vacated or whether a N279 has been issued, but they said nothing has been updated on their system.  

They have advised me to send an email to the court, to confirm the case has been vacated. In the mean time they have told me to follow the directions of the court with regards to my witness statement. I still haven’t received anything from the claimant which they intend to rely upon in court. 

I am guessing I will just have to do what you previously mentioned, by sending a short statement to the court?

Thanks.

[b789]

@Natedog, that is exactly what I expected.

If the court has confirmed that the £27 trial fee was not paid by the 4pm deadline on 11 May 2026, then the court order is very clear. It says that unless the Claimant paid the trial fee or filed a properly completed help with fees application by that deadline, the claim is struck out with effect from 11 May 2026 without further order.

So this is not simply a case of waiting to see whether the court decides to strike it out. Under the wording of the order, the strike-out has already taken effect unless there is something on the court file showing that the fee was paid or a valid help with fees application was filed in time.

For now, send a short email to the court asking them to confirm that, as the Claimant failed to pay the trial fee by the deadline, the claim was struck out with effect from 11 May 2026 and the hearing listed for 8 June 2026 has been vacated. Also mention that you have not received any N279 Notice of Discontinuance from the Claimant and ask the court to confirm whether one has been filed.

The order also says that, unless the court orders otherwise, the Claimant is liable for the costs which the Defendant has incurred. So you should also ask the court to confirm the procedure for submitting a short schedule of costs.

In the meantime, because court staff have told you to continue complying with the existing directions until the file is updated, we will take a cautious approach. If there is still no written confirmation from the court by 13 May, and you still have not received the Claimant’s witness statement and evidence, then you can file a short protective witness statement.

There is no point trying to produce a detailed witness statement because the Claimant has served nothing. They have not served the witness statement or evidence required by the judge’s order. They have not provided the contractual terms, landowner authority, details of where the alleged contract was made, clear A4 photographs, detailed breach allegations, or any proper explanation of the alleged debt.

So any statement would be short and procedural. It would simply say that the Claimant failed to pay the trial fee, the claim was struck out automatically under the court’s order, the Claimant has failed to serve the evidence ordered by the court, and there is nothing further for you to answer beyond your existing defence.

Do not panic and do not waste hours on this. In my experience of hundreds of DCB Legal parking claims over several years, this is exactly how they behave. The N279 or court update usually follows shortly afterwards.

We can deal with the exact wording of the short protective witness statement later today, if it becomes necessary. Just send this email to the court today and I will come back with the WS later:

Subject: Claim No: [INSERT CLAIM NUMBER] – Trial fee not paid by Claimant – request for confirmation and costs direction

Dear Sir or Madam,

Claim number: [INSERT CLAIM NUMBER]
Claimant: UK Parking Control Limited
Defendant: [INSERT DEFENDANT NAME]
Hearing date: 8 June 2026

I write further to the Notice of Allocation dated 15 April 2026.

I have spoken with the court office today and have been informed that the Claimant did not pay the £27 trial fee by the deadline of 4pm on 11 May 2026.

The order states:

“Unless the claimant does by 4.00pm on the 11 May 2026 pay to the court the trial fee of £27.00 or file a properly completed application for help with fees, then the claim will be struck out with effect from 11 May 2026 without further order and, unless the court orders otherwise, you will also be liable for the costs which the defendant has incurred.”

Please therefore confirm that the claim was struck out with effect from 11 May 2026 and that the hearing listed for 8 June 2026 has been vacated.

I also confirm that I have not received any N279 Notice of Discontinuance from the Claimant. Please confirm whether any such notice has been filed with the court.

For completeness, I further confirm that I have not received from the Claimant any witness statement or evidence, including the additional information specifically required by paragraph 3 of the court’s order.

In light of the Claimant’s failure to pay the trial fee and the express wording of the court’s order, I also ask the court to confirm the procedure for the Defendant to recover the costs incurred. If required, I can file and serve a short schedule of costs.

Unless and until the court confirms that the claim has been struck out or the hearing vacated, I understand that I should continue to comply with the existing directions.

I would be grateful for confirmation as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

[DEFENDANT NAME]

Email this to: Civilhearings.coventry.countycourt@justice.gov.uk and CC civilenquiries.coventry.countycourt@justice.gov.uk. Also CC yourself.

For the costs schedule, you keep it modest and credible. Use £24/hour for Litigant in Person (LiP) time, plus any actual expenses such as printing, postage, parking or travel if applicable. I’ll cover this with the WS later today.