ANPR Misread Wrong Plate PCN: The Subject Access Request That Cancels Most of These

ANPR Cameras Confuse Characters in Predictable Patterns

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras misread plates in well-documented patterns:

If you received a PCN for a vehicle and location you cannot have been at, the most likely explanation is an ANPR misread. The PCN was issued to your VRM but the camera actually captured a different plate that was misread to match yours.

The defence is straightforward: prove you were elsewhere, request the actual ANPR image under a Subject Access Request, and demonstrate the misread.

Step 1: Confirm You Weren't There

Before launching the misread defence, confirm you were genuinely elsewhere at the time. Evidence sources:

• Phone GPS history — Google Maps Timeline at google.com/maps/timeline, or Find My iPhone history
• Fuel receipts from a different location on the same date
• Toll receipts (Dartford Crossing, M6 Toll)
• Bank / card transactions dating-stamped at other locations
• Witness statements from people you were with

If you have at least two pieces of independent evidence placing you elsewhere, the misread defence is strong.

Step 2: Request the ANPR Image via Subject Access Request

Under UK GDPR Article 15, you have the right to request a copy of personal data the council holds about you, including the ANPR image used to identify your vehicle. Submit a Subject Access Request:

```

[Your name and address]

[Date]

[Council Data Protection Officer]

[Council address]

Subject Access Request under UK GDPR Article 15

Reference: PCN [reference]

Vehicle registration: [your VRM]

I request the following personal data held by the council in

connection with the above PCN:

1. The ANPR camera image used to identify the vehicle on [date]
2. The metadata of the image (timestamp, camera identifier,

confidence score)

1. The contravention details (location, time, contravention code)
2. The decision-making process record (who approved the PCN issue)

I request the above within 30 days as required by Article 12(3)

UK GDPR.

Yours faithfully,

[Signature]

```

The council must respond within 30 days under Article 12(3). They cannot charge a fee for a single SAR.

Step 3: Examine the Image

When you receive the ANPR image, look at the actual plate visible in the photograph. Compare it character-by-character against your VRM. The misread pattern is usually obvious — one or two characters that were read incorrectly.

If the actual plate in the image is clearly different from your VRM, the PCN should be cancelled. Submit the comparison with the representations.

Step 4: Submit Formal Representations

Submit within 28 days of the NtO citing both:

1. The ANPR misread (with the image comparison)
2. Your location evidence

Skeleton:

```

[Your name and address]

[Date]

[Council name]

Parking Service / PCN Team

[Address from PCN]

PCN reference: [from notice]

Vehicle registration: [your VRM]

Formal representations against PCN [reference] on the ground that

the contravention was committed by a vehicle other than mine.

1. I am the registered keeper of [VRM, e.g. AB12 CDE].

1. On the date and time of the alleged contravention I was at

[location, e.g. Manchester], not [location of alleged

contravention, e.g. London].

1. Exhibits A and B are GPS / receipt evidence placing me at

[Manchester].

1. The ANPR camera image (exhibit C, obtained via Subject Access

Request) shows a plate reading [e.g. AB12 GDE], which is

different from my VRM (the character G has been misread as C).

1. The contravention is attributable to a different vehicle and

the PCN against me should be cancelled.

Yours faithfully,

[Signature]

```

Step 5: If Council Refuses

If the council refuses despite clear misread evidence, escalate to tribunal. The misread defence has a very high success rate at tribunal when supported by the actual image showing the discrepancy.

Numbers That Matter

• UK GDPR SAR response window: 30 days, free
• Tribunal escalation window: 28 days from rejection
• ANPR misread defence success rate at tribunal: ~80-90% with clear image evidence
• Common misread characters: O↔0, I↔1, B↔8, S↔5

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