ANPR cameras are now widely used across UK car parks and work by capturing images of a vehicle’s number plate as it enters and exits a site.
The system then logs the times and calculates how long a vehicle has stayed, automatically issuing a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) if it believes rules have been broken.
Former Home Office biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner Fraser Sampson has previously said ANPR systems are around 97 per cent accurate – but this still means there are millions of misreads each year.
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This happens when a driver makes two separate visits to the same car park within a short period.
If the ANPR system fails to record either the first exit or the second entry, it may wrongly assume the car stayed for the entire time between visits.
This can result in the driver being slapped with an unfair fine days later.
Consumer group Which? has warned that in these cases, the burden of proof often falls on the driver – not the parking company.
Senior researcher James Aitchison, who was caught out by the issue last year, said:
“It was the result of double dipping, as the camera didn’t register me leaving the car park on one day or entering the car park the following day.”
He successfully challenged both fines – but only after gathering detailed evidence.
He said:
“I ended up using Google Location data on my phone, provided screenshots of my location on the relevant days, as well as train ticket stubs to show my whereabouts.”
Experts say drivers should keep receipts, travel records, or digital location data if they plan to appeal a PCN, as proving an ANPR error can be difficult without solid evidence.
