Received county court claim from Civil Enforcement Ltd for unpaid parking fine

[neilmusician]

Hi, I have received a received county court claim from civil enforcement Ltd for an unpaid parking fine.

Received a claim? Yes
Issue Date: 17th February 2026
Have you Acknowledged the Claim?: NO
Total Amount Claimed : £260
Claimant’s Name: Civil Enforcement Ltd
Solicitors Firm:
Original Creditor:
Original Debt unpaid parking fine : 25th august 2025
Particulars of Claim: Particulars of Claim

Claim for money relating to a Parking Charge for breach of contract terms/conditions(TCS) for parking in private car park (CP) managed by Claimant. Drivers may only park pursuant to TCs of use displayed in CP and agreed upon entry/parking. ANPR cameras or manual patrols monitor vehicles entering/exiting the CP and TC breaches. Charges of £170.00 claimed.

Violation date: 25/08/2025

Time in: 15:49 Time out: 17:56

PCN: REMOVED FOR PRIVACY

Vehicle reg mark: NOT DISPLAYED HERE FOR PRIVACY Car park:-McDonalds

Total due- £170.00

(Pay:www.ce-service.co.uk or T:01614515151) The Claimant claims the sum of £176.52

for the unpaid parking charge inc £6.52 interest under S.69 of the CCA 1984

Rate: 8.00% pa from due date to- 16/02/26

Same rate to Judgment or sooner payment at daily rate of- £0.04

Total debt and interest due- £176.52

Is the debt Statute Barred (have you had any contact with the creditor or claimant over the last 6 years?): NO
List any letters you have sent (eg: CCA/ CPR ): NONE
Any Other Information or Background Details:

Any help with this as soon as possible would be much appreciated as I only have a few days left before needing to take action.

I disagree with the claim & want to defend the claim. I will take photos of the car park signs and post here soon.

Many thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me on how to respond to the claim and the next steps (gathering evidence, asking for their evidence of proof of driver etc)

[des8]

So immediately acknowledge the claim as that will give you a little extra time to draft a defence.

If the claimant is not using a solicitor send them a CPR 31.14 request (https://legalbeagles.info/library/gu...-of-documents/)

During the next 7 days please post up a copy of i) the PCN ii) the claim form iii) photos of the signs ... ALL wordings need to be legible.
Remove identifying details from all documents but leave in all dates and times.

Do not identify the driver here or when communicating with CEL or their solicitors

[NofearAA]

Hi, I have been sent a Gatwick KFC parking ticket for not validating the pass before exiting though I did not over stayed the 60 mins allowed and in-fact spent about 20 mins to entertain a family at the KFC, spending over £60 who just arrived from overseas. The barrier did not open at first then after a second or third try, a smiling face flash up and I press it and few weeks later, I got this letter? please, advise is needed soonest. thank you

[des8]

Hi, I have been sent a Gatwick KFC parking ticket for not validating the pass before exiting though I did not over stayed the 60 mins allowed and in-fact spent about 20 mins to entertain a family at the KFC, spending over £60 who just arrived from overseas. The barrier did not open at first then after a second or third try, a smiling face flash up and I press it and few weeks later, I got this letter? please, advise is needed soonest. thank you

please start your own thread as piggy backing only causes confusion
Do not identify the driver when posting here

[neilmusician]

So immediately acknowledge the claim as that will give you a little extra time to draft a defence.

If the claimant is not using a solicitor send them a CPR 31.14 request (https://legalbeagles.info/library/gu...-of-documents/)

During the next 7 days please post up a copy of i) the PCN ii) the claim form iii) photos of the signs ... ALL wordings need to be legible.
Remove identifying details from all documents but leave in all dates and times.

Do not identify the driver here or when communicating with CEL or their solicitors

Hi DES8

Thank you so much for responding.

I have now acknowledged the claim on the moneyclaim.gov website. I clicked on requiring another 14 days to form a defence, so now have a bot more time.

I will also now post on this thread, the claim form and photos of the car park signs.

Unfortunately I do not have any of the original PCNs.

There is no mention of their solicitors. However, on the rear of the claim form it has been signed by the 'Head of Legal (the claimants real legal representative as defined by CPR 2.3(1)'

With regards to sending them a CPR 31.14 request, do I need to send this via the post, or can this be sent digitally? An if it to be sent via post, then is it to the address for documents listed on the claim form?

Thanks again for all of your help on this. It is very much appreciated!

[neilmusician]

Please find attached the redacted claim form (front and rear)

[neilmusician]

Please find two recent photos of the car park signs, taken yesterday.

These were taken by a friend who lives in the area. Let me know these are not good enough & I'll get some more taken

[neilmusician]

Please also find a few screenshots of Google Streetview - however these were taken in 2024, so may not be relevant now.

[neilmusician]

Another question I have for the Request for documents mentioned in a statement of case under CPR 31.14

The only documents I can see mentioned in the particulars of claim, is a contract. Do I only need to ask for a contract document then? Or will the other requests of 1. Agreement / Contract, 2. Default Notice, 3. Notice of Assignment be relevant to me? And what about asking for evidence of proof of driver?

Thanks again for any help you can give me

[des8]

Your request should ask for all the documentation they will rely on at trial
This should include, especially but not exclusively, copy of the contract, i.e. photos of every different sign in the carpark. These need even the small fonts to be completely legible.

Send the request by email (read receipt)

Did you appeal the original PCN, and in doing so did you identify the driver?

When you receive a response, or around 11th March, give us a nudge so we can help with a defence

[neilmusician]

That's great DES8 - I will amend my letter to include your suggestion to ask for all the documentation, as above.

I've looked everywhere on the claim form and cannot find an email address for them or their solicitor.

It only says on the rear of the claim form it has been signed by the 'Head of Legal (the claimants real legal representative as defined by CPR 2.3(1)'

How would I go about finding their email address? Or as they haven't submitted one, do I instead need to send a letter via recorded delivery?


To answer your other question, I have not appealed the original PCN, and the driver has not been identified.

Thanks for all your help

[des8]

You could try sending to "office@ce-service.co.uk", but back it up with a letter.
You could also try their online portal

Don't know if that email address is still in use, or if the online portal is of use ... just try them & see!

Problem is you only have a short time before submitting a defence

[des8]

Hi
Here is the sort of defence I would be putting up at this stage
You should amend it to suit yourself and not just copy and paste
You shouldn't use it without reading and understanding it, so I have set it out so there are dates etc to be inserted, and the lines need to be renumbered.
You will need to send it to the court and solicitor as a PDF attached to an email
Use font sized 12 plus 1.5 line spacing

1. .The Defendant received the claim xxx from Civil Enforcement Ltd on dd/mm/yy
2. .Each and every allegation in the Claimants statement of case is denied unless specifically admitted in this Defence.
3. The defendant avers the Claimant's statement of case appears to be a template which fails to give adequate information to enable the Defendant to properly assess the Defendant's position with regards the claim and has failed to properly plead its case in accordance with CPR16.4(1)(a)
   Specifically the Particulars of Claim:
   i state that the claim is for an unpaid parking charge for breaching the terms and conditions in a private car park
   
   ii. do not state how the defendant is liable
   
   iii do not show how the amount claimed (£170) as "Charges" (plural) arises from a single "Parking Charge"
   
   iv asserts the claim relates ""to a Parking Charge for breach of contract terms/conditions(TCS) for parking in private car park (CP) managed by Claimant. Drivers may only park pursuant to TCs of use displayed in CP "but,( altho' requested by letter/email d dated dd/mm/yy) the Claimant has failed to provide a legible copy of the signs nor indicated which term(s) or condition(s) were contravened, nor how they were contravened
4. It is well established that the Claimant must provide adequate pleadings and include all essential ingredients of the cause of action so as to enable the Defendant to understand the case against them. The Particulars of Claim, as drafted, are inadequate which makes it difficult for the Defendant to respond as he does not know or understand the basis of the Claimant’s case.
5. Further, the Defendant is surprised by the poor drafting of the particulars given that the Claim form is signed by a solicitor (whose SRA registration shews him as employed by Creative Car Park Ltd) and so the lack of compliance with the CPR 16.4(1)(a) to formulate proper particulars cannot be excused. Accordingly, the court is invited to consider its general case management powers pursuant to CPR 3.1 to:
   1. make an order that unless the Claimant (i) files and re-serves an amended Particulars of Claim compliant with CPR 16.4(1)(a) and (ii) provide the necessary documentation in order for The Defendant to fully plead her case within 14 days of said order, then the claim shall be struck out and judgment entered in favour of the Defendant;
   2. If the Claimant should comply with such an order , the Defendant will then be in a position to amend his defence, and would ask that the Claimant bears the costs of the amendment.
      Or
   3. if the court considers it appropriate, to strike out the claim in whole or in part, as the basis that the claim discloses no reasonable grounds for a cause of action; and
   4. exercise any other case management powers the court sees fit
   5. Without prejudice to the foregoing paragraphs, the Defendant intends to respond to the allegations raised in the Particulars of Claim as best he is able.
   
   
   
   6 Defendant’s liability as the driver of the vehicle
   As the POC makes no reference to POFA 2012 the Defendant assumes the Claimant pursues the Defendant as the driver, so it is fair to assume the Claimant has actual and/or constructive knowledge of the driver’s identity.
   However the Claimant has failed to produce any supporting evidence that demonstrates the Defendant was the driver of the vehicle when the alleged contravention(s) took place. It is the Defendant’s position that the Claimant is ignorant of the driver's identity and his allegations are nothing more than a fishing expedition
   
   
   
   7 The claim is for breach of contract.:
   
   Having obtained photographs of the signage at the indicated location, the Defendant avers the signage is firstly incapable of forming a contract.as it is forbidding in nature.
   The Defendant is mystified how one can contract to do that which is forbidden, and avers that even if the vehicle had been parked in the alleged
   location(which is not admitted and the claimant has provided no proof of the alleged event)) the resulting charge would be a penalty and not contractual
   
   8 Further it contains a term regarding additional costs and debt recovery charges. As the sign states the parking charge is £100 the Defendant deduces these charges have been included in the claimed amount (£170)
   
   Section 68 of the Consumer's Rights Act 2015 requires that every term of a consumer contract must be transparent and expressed in a plain and intelligible language. The Defendant contends that the term referring to the charges on the signage was neither transparent nor intelligible in that:
   
   a) the font size of the term is small making it illegible from a reasonable distance; the term ought to have been presented in a manner which was far more legible considering the amount of blank space available on the sign itself; and
   
   b)the term refers to ‘charges’ but fails to explain what charges the Claimant is seeking to recover. Accordingly, the term described is vague and ambiguous contrary to the guidance published by the Competition and Markets Authority on unfair contract terms.
   
   c) It fails to explain what charges the claimant seeks to recover, and is also contrary to CRA2015 Schedule2 (10 & 14).
   
   d) Consequently, the term is unfair and is not binding on the Defendant pursuant to section 62 of the CRA2015
   
   e) .In Parking Eye vs Beavis ([2015] UKSC 67. Case ID. UKSC 2015/0116the S C found the parking charge (£85) was a genuine estimate of the costs of operating the parking scheme including losses suffered by the operator if its terms and conditions were not complied with (see paras 188 and 193 of the judgment)
6. f) Whilst not binding on this court the Defendant respectfully refers to the following case: G4QZ465V (Excel Parking Services Ltd vs Wilkinson - 1st July 2020) where District Judge Jackson considered a similar claim to be an abuse of process under the The Consumer Rights Act 2015 (Sch 2 and section 61/ 61(1)/ 67). He found that striking out the claim was the only appropriate manner in which the disapproval of the court could be shown
   
   22. the Defendant denies that the claimant is entitled to the relief as claimed or at all
   
   
   
   STATEMENT OF TRUTH
   
   I believe that the facts stated in this defence are true. I understand that proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against anyone who makes, or causes to be made, a false statement in a document verified by a statement of truth without an honest belief in its truth.

[neilmusician]

Wow, this is amazing, thank you so much DES8!! I will look at this now.

Thanks again so much for all your help on this.

[neilmusician]

Can I just ask, do I submit my version of the above on the .gov money claim site? As there is an option to submit there.