CarParkLetterAppeal letters for private parking charges

ANPR double dip: two visits charged as one stay

"Double dipping" happens when cameras record you arriving on your first visit and leaving on your second, but miss the exit and entry in between. The notice then shows one long stay that never happened.

What the Single Code says

  • Operators must make sure camera systems are fit for purpose, maintained and synchronised so they record accurately whether a charge is due (clause 7.1).
  • Images used to issue a charge must have an accurate time and date stamp, and ANPR or CCTV images must go through a manual quality control check (clause 7.3).
  • The Code says the manual check is particularly important for detecting double dipping, where cameras fail to record each time a vehicle enters and leaves (clause 7.3, note 1).
  • For a new calendar day, an operator must not issue a further charge for the same parking event within 12 hours of the previous one. Moving the vehicle makes a new parking event (clause 8.3 note).

Evidence to send

  • Anything showing you were elsewhere between the two visits: receipts from other shops, fuel receipts, card statement lines, phone location history or a dashcam clip.
  • Receipts from the site itself on each visit, showing two separate times.
  • Ask the operator for all entry and exit images it holds for your vehicle that day.

Steps

  1. Appeal to the operator within 28 days. Say you made two separate visits and ask for every entry and exit image for that day.
  2. If rejected, appeal to POPLA or the IAS with your evidence. See IAS or POPLA.

Common questions

How can I prove I left?

You may not have a photo, but evidence of being somewhere else in between, such as a timed receipt from another shop, is often enough to show the stay was not continuous.

Does the operator have to check camera images by hand?

Yes. The Single Code says ANPR and CCTV images must be manually quality checked before they are used to issue a charge, and names double dipping as a reason for the check.

Check your notice and build your letter

The new government Code

A government Private Parking Code of Practice was laid in Parliament on 20 October 2026. It is not yet in force. When it is, it will replace the Single Code and include a mandatory 5-minute consideration period and a 10-minute grace period. Until then, the Single Code applies.

Important

Not legal advice. CarParkLetter is run by Pricing Logic Limited. We provide templates and general information only. We are not solicitors. Check your letter before you send it.

No guarantee of success. Outcomes depend on the facts, the evidence, the operator and the appeals body. If an appeal fails you may still have to pay, possibly without the early payment discount.

Sources

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ANPR double dip: two visits charged as one stay | CarParkLetter