Parking tickets and enforcement

If you are parked illegally, you may be issued with a parking ticket or penalty charge notice (PCN). Your vehicle could also be clamped or removed.


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What do I do if I get a penalty charge notice (PCN)?

The penalty for parking illegally is £130 for a 'serious' contravention or £80 for a 'less serious' contravention. If you pay this within 14 days, you will qualify for a 50 per cent reduction.

If you feel there is a legitimate reason, you may challenge a PCN under certain circumstances. See how to challenge a parking ticket.

What do I do if my car has been clamped?

You will need to either visit or phone the Lots Road Vehicle Pound or the Customer Service Centre at Kensington Town Hall. Once you have paid the release fee (£70) and the applicable Penalty Charge Notice fee you can return to your car and wait to have the clamp removed.

What do I do if my car has been removed?

If a local authority within the London area has removed your car, you should phone the TRACE help line service on 0845 206 8 602. They will tell you where your car is and the fee you have to pay.

Removed vehicles are taken to the Vehicle Pound in Lots Road. Once you have provided some proof that you own the vehicle, paid the release fee (£200) and the applicable Penalty Charge Notice fee, we will return your car to you. Please note that a storage cost of £40 per day will apply and therefore the cost will increase if you do not pay straight away.

How to pay

The prices of Penalty Charge Notices, clamps and removals are set by London Councils in consultation with the Mayor of London. Visit London Councils for further details.

You can pay by cash, cheque, postal order, credit or debit card as follows:

By phone:

  • PCN payment line: 020 7795 8888
  • Customer Services: 020 7361 4383
  • clamp removal line: 020 7376 8402 or 020 7351 1203

Online:

In person:

By post (cheque or postal order payments only):

  • Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
    PO Box 4294
    Worthing,  BN13 1WW

What happens if I do not pay an outstanding penalty charge notice?

If you ignore our notice or an adjudicator’s decision to uphold a penalty charge notice, the charge will rise by 50 per cent and we will deal with this as a debt. This could possibly lead to us passing the debt to bailiffs.

We will only withdraw penalty charge notices in very rare circumstances. We will not withdraw them for the following reasons:

  • I went to get some change for the machine
  • I could not find anywhere else to park
  • I couldn’t see the point of having a yellow line there
  • my permit application is in the post
  • I thought I was legally parked, but I made a mistake
  • I was only there for two minutes