Morrisons Parking Fine – Do I have to Pay?

Have you received a Morrisons parking fine and are feeling unsure about whether to pay it or appeal? You’ve come to the right place. Every month, over 130,000 people visit our website to seek advice on fines and parking tickets.

In this article, we’ll provide clear and simple advice about:

•  How parking at Morrisons works
•  The meaning of a Parking Charge Notice
•  The steps to take if you want to appeal a Morrisons parking fine
•  Helpful tips on avoiding a Morrisons parking ticket
•  The legal aspect of paying a parking charge notice

We know receiving a private parking fine can be really frustrating. But you might find comfort in knowing that you’re not alone. In fact, over 19,000 parking fines are issued each day in the UK¹.

Don’t worry; we’re here to help you understand your options.

Do You Have to Pay the Parking Fine?

If you have not kept to the Terms and Conditions of using a Morissons car park, the operator is allowed to send you the invoice. If you don’t pay, the company could take legal action to enforce the invoice and make you pay Morrisons car park charges. Alternatively, they could outsource the collection process to a debt collection agency².

These companies don’t have additional legal powers to collect the debt, and they’re NOT bailiffs. So, you do run the risk of being taken to court if you don’t pay, but the fine isn’t enforced until a judge asks you to pay.

There is one alternative option, which doesn’t involve ignoring or paying the Parking Charge Notice. In many circumstances, you could appeal your Morrisons parking fine. This is an option that many people prefer, especially considering how common it is to be issued a parking fine unfairly.

POPLA is working hard to address issues that cause unfair parking fees. Main issues are often with technology and third party ticket issuers.³

Appeal Process Steps

If you want to appeal your Morrisons parking fine, it’s crucial to understand the steps involved. That’s why we’ve put together this table that explains the process. For more information, be sure to read our complete guide.

Process:	Steps you should take:
When you receive the ticket…	You should gather as much evidence as you can to support your appeal claim and prove that the ticket was unfairly issued.
If you were given the ticket in person/attached to your car…	You must make an informal appeal (sent to the local authority/council that issued the PCN) within 14 days. This should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If it was posted to you…	You will be given 21 days to submit an informal appeal (from the day you received the letter). Your informal appeal should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If the informal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice to Owner and will have 28 days to respond to this with a formal appeal. You can conduct the formal appeal online or via paper form. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal can send you one of these forms.
If the formal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice of Rejection. From here, you are free to challenge the council’s verdict at an independent tribunal.
If the independent tribunal disagrees with your appeal…	You should pay the ticket within 28 days of the tribunal rejecting your appeal. If you don’t, the fine will be increased by 50%. If you don’t have the money to pay the fine, you should contact Citizens Advice or another debt charity.

What happens if You ignore the parking ticket?

As we’ve previously mentioned, you should not ignore a Parking Charge Notice because the issuer could do the following:

• Pass your details to a debt collection agency
• Start court proceedings against you to recover what’s owed

Although there is a chance the issuer won’t take you to court, it’s a risk that should be carefully considered.

If they win a court case, the judge will:

• Issue an order to pay
• Be asked to instruct bailiffs (enforcement officers) to recover the debt

The consequences of ignoring a Parking Charge Notice could lead to a default on your credit file. You’d have trouble getting further finance with a CCJ on your credit history.

That said, you have 30 days to settle a CCJ to avoid it remaining on your credit file for 6 years.

As we see it, the consequences of ignoring Morrisons parking fines could be far-reaching.

Can You talk to them about the parking charge?

Morrisons tell customers who want to discuss a Parking Charge Notice to call 0345611 6111 or to use this contact form for Morrisons parking charge assistance.

You may not want to delay dealing with the fine, especially when there is a time limit to appeal. And you can pay a reduced fine amount if you pay within the first two weeks!

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer

Consider sending an appeal

You can appeal a Morrisons car park fine by lodging an appeal to the car park operator who issued it.

Janine, our financial expert, advises to formally appeal a parking ticket within 28 days of receipt, providing evidence such as a photo of your car’s registration number if the PCN is incorrect.

Make sure you follow the parking fine appeals process at Morrisons.

Download our Parking Ticket Appeal letter template to give you a headstart writing your appeal.

What evidence do You need to provide?

The more proof you can provide why an operator should cancel a Parking Charge Notice, the stronger your appeal could be.

The sort of evidence we suggest you gather is as follows:

• Witness statement (if possible)
• Photos of unclear parking signs and faded road markings
• Photo of a ticket you purchased to park
• Receipt from a breakdown service if your vehicle had broken down
• Photos of payment machines if they were out of order

Best excuses to appeal the car park fine

Valid reasons for parking fine appeal at Morrisons are those that are legitimate with good evidence to back them up. Of course, the best excuse possible is that the car park operator has made a mistake, such as stating you never shopped at Morrisons when you have a receipt to prove you did. 

Other excuses that could get your ticket cancelled include:

1. You broke down
2. You were involved in a medical emergency
3. You were within the grace period (see below!)

References

1. Sky News — Parking Tickets Statistics
2. StepChange — DCA
3. POPLA — Parking on Private Land Appeals Annual Report