Dart Charge Penalty Charge Notice – What You Need To Know

Did you receive a Dart Charge Penalty Charge Notice and feel unsure about what to do next?

You’ve come to the right place! Each month, more than 130,000 people visit our site seeking advice on handling fines and parking tickets.

In this easy-to-understand guide, we’ll explain:

• What a Dart Charge Penalty Charge Notice is and why you might get one.
• If you need to pay it right away or if you can wait.
• The steps on how to make a strong appeal against the charge if you think it’s not right.
• Certain situations where you might not need to pay the charge.
• What could happen if you choose not to pay the charge.

Believe it or not, in 2021, Churchill Motor Insurance reported an 8% increase in penalty charge notices (PCNs) in Britain, with over 5.2 million issued.¹ You’re not alone in this.

We understand your situation, and we’re ready to help. Let’s get started!

Dart Charge Penalty Charge Notice and what to do

If you get a Gov Dart Charge PCN, I recommend checking if it’s correct. Don’t ignore it because you could end up before a magistrate. 

In this case, a Penalty Charge Notice Dartford Crossing fine could set you back a substantial amount of money.

The cashless payment system does fail sometimes, and motorists are paying the London Congestion Charge by mistake.

If you’re unsure what to do, I suggest you get legal advice from a solicitor.

So, before you pay PCN for Dart Charge, verify that you actually deserve the fine. Also, make sure you have enough Dart Charge PCN evidence to support your appeal.

Do you have to pay a Dart Charge Penalty Notice?

Not necessarily.

That said, the best way to pay for a Dartford Crossing is to pay directly from their official website.

Be sure to get an official receipt for the payment.

Otherwise, you don’t have any proof of payment if things go wrong and you get a Dart Charge penalty charge notice.

Also, you may be wondering whether you can pay Dart Charge without PCN documents, and the answer is yes. But you’ll need to retrieve the PCN number by contacting the authority.

My advice? Don’t use any unofficial websites when making a Dartford Crossing payment. The reason? You could be charged up to 60% more than the actual cost.

Here’s a quick table that will help you better understand how to pay your PCN.

Pay Penalty Charge Notice Dart Charge	Pay Dart Charge PCN online
Pay a PCN Dart Charge	Cash payment at a local Payzone
Pay Penalty Charge Notice Dartford Crossing	Set up a postal account
Dart Penalty Charge appeal	Make a Dart charge PCN representation
Dart Charge PCN contact number – complaints	0300 300 0120

Can you appeal a Dart penalty charge?

Yes. When you believe a Dart penalty charge is incorrect, you have the right to appeal it.

For example, motorists were fined because the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system failed to work.

However, it’s not just the ‘misreading’ of number plates that causes the problem. There are other reasons why you could appeal the Dart charge. 

To challenge PCN Dart Charge fines, you should:

• Contact the authority within 28 days of the charge being served
• Provide the Dart penalty charge reference number
• Explain your reasons or grounds for Dart charge appeal

Just make sure you have sufficient evidence to support a PCN Dart Charge appeal.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer

Appeal Process Steps

I’ve put together this table to help you better understand the appeal process. If you want to learn more about the steps you should take, please read our detailed 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 the authority rejects your appeal?

You have the right to get an independent adjudicator involved if the authority rejects your appeal against a Dart penalty charge.

You’ll find more information on how to appeal to the adjudicator in the rejection letter.

Note: An appeal to an independent adjudicator must be made within 28 days of receiving the rejection letter. It’s vital to respect all Dart Charge PCN time limits when filing an appeal.

What criteria does an independent adjudicator need to accept an appeal?

If you want to take the matter to an independent adjudication, you must show that:

• You weren’t the registered keeper when the charge was issued
• Someone else used the vehicle without the owner’s permission
• The car belongs to a hire company
• The charge was paid on time
• The penalty was more than it should have been

There are other compelling reasons for challenging a penalty charge Dartford crossing fine.

My advice? Follow the Dart PCN appeal criteria.

Contact the authority and file an appeal but don’t ignore the charge.

It’s important that you understand the difference between a Penalty Charge Notice and a Parking Charge Notice. To learn more about this, please check out our related article on this.

Can you file a complaint against the authority?

Yes, you can. But it’s separate from any Dartford Crossing-related matter. You can complain to the authority because of poor signage, for example.

To clarify, you can’t complain just because you got a penalty charge for Dartford Crossing. You must either pay the charge or file an appeal against it.

Did you pay London Congestion Charge instead of the Dartford Crossing?

You’re not alone if you paid the London Congestion Charge by mistake.

The signage at the Dartford Crossing is confusing, to say the least. The reason? The signage has no web address, so motorists are paying the wrong charge.

As a result, you most likely paid five times more than you should.

On top of that, you’ll have a Dart penalty charge that could be as much as £125. For each crossing!

Did Dart charge take your payment twice?

Check your bank account when you think a payment has been taken twice when you used the Dart charge.

The AA has reported that tolls took duplicate payments all too often.

If you are one of the people who were double charged for Dartford Crossing, contact Highways England to let them know.

Their telephone number is 0300 300 0120. Ask them to run a Dart Charge check PCN to resolve the problem.

Dart Charge Penalty Charge Notice – What You Need To Know

References

1. Direct Line Group — Parking Fines Statistics