The motorist, who parked on St John Street, used the council-approved app to pay for parking, receiving confirmation it was valid until 8:00 am the next day. However, the driver later found a parking fine was issued at 8:05 pm the same evening, exposing a major flaw that may have misled countless motorists into paying for invalid sessions.
Following an appeal supported by claim.co.uk, Manchester City Council cancelled the fine and admitted: “As you were not supposed to be able to purchase a parking session that lasted till 8 am the next day, I have taken the decision to cancel your PCN on this occasion.”
However, the council has not confirmed whether it will refund other affected drivers or update the PayByPhone system to prevent further errors.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request uncovered the extent of enforcement on St John Street:
7,487 parking fines issued in one year.£228,623 collected in revenue from these fines.2,133 appeals submitted, with 457 fines cancelled—highlighting systemic confusion.St John Street is the only location in Manchester with the unusual 8:00 pm–6:00 am restriction.
Despite these figures, the council has not confirmed whether it will investigate other potentially wrongful fines or correct the PayByPhone system to prevent future issues.
Following this revelation, claim.co.uk is investigating whether other councils across the UK have issued fines based on similar PayByPhone errors.
Ben Snape, CEO at claim.co.uk, said: “If this issue has happened in Manchester, it is highly likely that motorists across the UK have been misled in the same way."
claim.co.uk is:
- Submitting FOI requests to councils across the UK to identify similar cases.
- Calling on motorists nationwide to report fines received after using PayByPhone.
- Investigating whether other parking apps have similar system flaws.
Motorists who believe they have been fined unfairly after paying via PayByPhone are urged to take action.
Claim.co.uk is providing:
- Step-by-step guidance on how to appeal unfair fines.
- Legal arguments and case law to support challenges.
- Updates on councils involved in similar issues across the UK.
“This is not just a Manchester problem—it could be happening nationwide. Councils must take responsibility and refund every motorist misled by their own systems.” stated Ben Snape.
If you have received a parking fine after using the PayByPhone app, visit https://www.claim.co.uk to find out how you may be able to challenge it.