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Private parking · Euro Car Parks
How to appeal a Euro Car Parks parking charge
Euro Car Parks runs many supermarket, retail and station car parks. Its charges are private invoices, not council fines, and you can appeal for free. Build your letter below in a few minutes.
By a former Edinburgh enforcement officer · Updated October 2026
🎫 The short answer
Appeal to Euro Car Parks within 28 days and don’t pay first. If it rejects you, appeal free to POPLA within 28 days of the rejection. In Scotland the operator can only pursue the driver, not the keeper. Check your notice says Euro Car Parks: Euro Parking Services is a different company with a different appeals service (the IAS).
A private Parking Charge Notice is an invoice from a company, not a council fine. It goes through a different process from a council PCN, and the council’s tribunal does not handle it. If your notice says “Penalty Charge Notice” and came from the City of Edinburgh Council, use the council ticket guide instead.
How the appeal works
Within 28 days
Appeal to the operator
Use the letter below. Do not pay first, because paying is usually treated as accepting the charge.
If rejected
You get a 10-digit POPLA code
POPLA is the free independent appeals service for British Parking Association members.
Within 28 days of rejection
Appeal to POPLA
POPLA decides on the evidence. If it refuses your appeal, the operator will expect payment.
Build your appeal letter (free)
Fill in the boxes and tick the grounds that are true for you. The letter updates as you type. Nothing you type leaves your device.
This is a letter-drafting tool, not legal advice. We can’t guarantee the outcome of any appeal.
Which grounds actually win
- Proof you paid or had a permit. This is the strongest. Bank statements and app screenshots count.
- Keying errors. Under the industry’s Single Code of Practice, a minor typo in your registration should not lead to a charge. A bigger error is a mitigating circumstance that cuts the charge to £20.
- Grace periods. Operators must allow 10 minutes after your paid or permitted time ends.
- Late notices (England and Wales). Camera charges must reach the keeper within a strict 14-day window. The builder checks the dates for you.
- Unclear signs. Worth arguing with photos. Without photos it rarely works.
One argument the builder leaves out on purpose: that the charge is “a penalty” or too high. The Supreme Court rejected that in ParkingEye v Beavis (2015), and using it weakens your appeal.
If the car park is in Scotland
The law that lets private operators chase the registered keeper (Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012) only covers England and Wales. In Scotland there is no keeper liability, so the operator can only pursue the driver. You do not have to tell them who that was. Pick “Scotland” in the letter builder and it uses the right wording.
Common questions
How long do I have to appeal a Euro Car Parks charge?
28 days from the date of the charge. If it is rejected, you then have 28 days to appeal to POPLA with the 10-digit code in the rejection.
Is a Euro Car Parks charge a fine?
No. It is a private invoice from a parking company, not a council penalty. It can still be pursued, so don’t ignore it.
Do I have to say who was driving?
No. The registered keeper does not have to name the driver. In England and Wales the operator can only hold the keeper liable if it follows strict legal rules. In Scotland there is no keeper liability.
Should I pay and then appeal?
No. Paying is usually treated as accepting the charge, which ends the appeal.
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