A lawyer has warned that a simple parking mistake could see a £60 fine spiral into hundreds or thousands of pounds. Lawyers say thousands of drivers each year are caught out after receiving a parking notice and either delaying action or assuming it is not legally serious.
While the original charge may seem minor, experts say it is what happens next that causes costs to rise sharply. Parking penalties operate on strict legal timelines, and missing even one deadline can trigger additional charges automatically.
Simarjot Singh Judge, Managing Partner at Judge Law, said the most common problem is drivers doing nothing. Mr Judge said: “The biggest mistake people make with parking fines is assuming they can deal with them later or that they will simply go away.”
Once deadlines are missed, reminder notices, recovery fees and enforcement costs can all be added to the original charge. He said: “A £60 or £100 fine can very quickly double or triple once additional charges are applied, which is why acting early is so important.”
Many motorists also wrongly believe private parking fines are unenforceable and can be ignored without consequence. He said: “Private parking companies can and do pursue unpaid charges through the courts, and ignoring correspondence is often what pushes cases in that direction.”
Another issue lawyers see regularly is drivers not receiving the original notice at all. Mr Judge said: “If your address on the vehicle logbook is not up to date, you may never see the first letter, and by the time you become aware of the fine, the amount owed may already be far higher.”
People also often dismiss follow-up letters, assuming they are generic or not legally important. He said: “Once a parking charge is passed to debt recovery, it stops being a minor parking issue and becomes a debt matter, which can have much more serious consequences.”
In some cases, unpaid parking charges can result in County Court claims, which can affect a person’s finances if not dealt with properly. He said: “The key thing drivers need to understand is that early action makes a huge difference, whether that means appealing promptly or paying early to keep the cost down.”
Mr Judge said that ignoring notices or delaying action is what usually turns a small fine into a major financial headache.
