How best to appeal.

[roflynn]

Hi, would really welcome some advice pls - I live in London and park on the street in a residents parking area (CPZ). On Monday morning, I parked 2 roads from my house on a quiet residential road with lots of CPZ parking at any time of the day. I usually park on this road during the day as it's beside my kids school and i go straight to work afterwards. This road is in the same CPZ as my road so I'm ok to park there and have done for the past couple of years. However, out of sheer stupidity and because i was rushing to go somewhere else that morning I parked on the oppsite end of the street to there i usally leave my car and in a doctors bay. I just didn't see the sign. Crazy as there was lots of parking on the road as it's such a quiet. No-one to blame but myself. However, it looks like they ticketed the car at 2pm and towed the car to the pound at 3pm. I arrived at 3:30pm, realized my mistake immediately when i saw the doctors sign. I recovered the car from the pound at 5pm minus £265. (£65 + £200). I've no issue with the £65 but it seems unfair for them to have taken the car away when a) they would have known i live locally and had a valid permit for that road b) it should have been clear that i made an innocent mistake as the road was almost empty with lots of parking elsewhere. 3) it wasn't causing an obstruction when they took the car away as the CPZ is from 12:30-2:30 so even if a doctor had arrived at 2:30 he could have parked anywhere on the road. When i collected the car from the pound the guy suggested i appeal when he realized i had a valid permit for the road. In fact, he wondering whyever would i have parked in the doctors bay when i could have parked anywhere. Anyway, it was a stupid mistake which I'll never make again. My question is - what's the best approach to an appeal? Just be honest and explain that it was a mistake, that I am a local resident with a valid permit for the road and it seems unfair to have charaged me £265 for a minor mistake? Any suggestions would be welcome. thanks.