A 78-year-old pensioner has described his frustration after receiving nine parking penalty charge notices (PCNs) from Horizon Parking over seven months for a car park he never visited. Eric, who did not provide his surname, said the fines kept arriving despite his repeated appeals and reports to the police, the DVLA, and his insurance company.
How Black Tape Led to False Fines
According to Eric, the images accompanying the PCNs revealed that someone in another part of the country was using black tape to change an 'L' on their license plate to an 'E', causing it to match Eric's registration. The fines began in March 2025 and only ceased in October 2025 after Eric contacted multiple authorities, including the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and Horizon Parking.
Eric told consumer group Which?: "(I felt) frustration and disbelief that, in this day and age, I couldn't get the police or the DVLA interested enough to carry out action in a timely manner. Horizon Parking were just unavailable. I sent letters, emails, contested the PCNs, and yet they kept on coming."
Lack of Resolution and Apology
Eric said he has never received an apology from Horizon Parking, describing the company as "just unavailable." He added, "I've never had full closure on it. I've never had an apology from Horizon Parking, I've never had the police say, 'yeah, it is closed, we may prosecute the person'. I don't think they are. So it's still left a little bit in the air, I'm still not sure if they could repeat this."
He now lives in fear of a similar incident occurring again, as the case remains unresolved in his view.
Consumer Advice on Unfair Parking Tickets
MoneySavingExpert recommends that drivers do not automatically pay unfair private parking tickets, as they are often just "invoices" that are unenforceable. Instead, they advise gathering evidence such as photos, correspondence, proof of mitigating circumstances, and witness statements, and complaining directly to the landlord of the car park, who may intervene.
Drivers can also dispute the ticket with the firm, but should never name the driver, as there is no legal obligation to do so and it could make it harder for the firm to build a case. If all else fails, appeals can be made to the Parking on Private Land Appeals or the Independent Appeals Service, though this accepts the legitimacy of the industry-run appeals system.
Horizon Parking has been contacted for comment.
