A 78-year-old pensioner claims he was issued nine penalty charge notices (PCNs) by Horizon Parking over seven months, despite never having visited the car park in question. Eric, who withheld his surname, insists the tickets were the result of someone using black tape to alter a letter on a license plate, causing it to match his own registration.
How the Fraud Worked
Eric maintains that a person in a different part of the country used black tape to change an 'L' into an 'E', making the plate identical to his. The PCNs started arriving in March 2025 and only stopped in October 2025 after he contacted the police, the DVLA, Horizon Parking, and his insurance provider. He said the photos included with the tickets showed the tampered plate.
Frustration with Authorities
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." He added that after the second PCN, he realized the problem would persist, so he informed the authorities, but the tickets continued unabated from March to November.
Eric received nine PCNs in seven months. He said: "That is the frustration - where do you go to? 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'." He now fears the same thing could happen again.
Advice for Motorists
MoneySavingExpert advises against automatically paying an unjust private parking fine, noting that such penalties are typically invoices that cannot be enforced. Motorists should gather evidence like photos, correspondence, and witness statements, then complain directly to the landlord. They can also challenge the penalty without identifying the driver, as there is no legal requirement to do so. If all else fails, cases can be escalated to Parking on Private Land Appeals or the Independent Appeals Service, though entering the process acknowledges the legitimacy of the industry-run system.
Horizon Parking has been approached for comment.
