Paid or Challenged a Fine but Bailiffs Still Chasing You?

It's one of the most frustrating situations in traffic enforcement: you paid the fine, or you sent in a formal challenge, yet the letters keep coming. Then bailiffs (now officially called enforcement agents) turn up at your door demanding payment plus substantial fees. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone, and there is a recognised legal route to stop enforcement action even at this late stage.

Why This Happens

Enforcement systems rely heavily on paperwork moving correctly between local authorities, courts and enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, breakdowns happen regularly:

• A payment is processed but not correctly logged against your penalty charge notice (PCN) reference.
• A challenge or appeal letter is sent but never reaches the right department, or is logged against the wrong file.
• You move house and correspondence about a penalty is sent to an old address, so you never see the Charge Certificate or Order for Recovery.
• An online payment is made through the wrong portal or reference number, meaning the local authority's system still shows the debt as outstanding.

Whatever the cause, the practical result is the same: the case proceeds to registration at the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC), a court order is made, and enforcement agents are instructed to recover a debt that, in your view, no longer exists or was never properly due.

Understanding What Type of Penalty You're Dealing With

Before taking action, it's important to establish exactly what kind of contravention you're dealing with, because the correct legal remedy depends on it.

Parking Contraventions

If your penalty relates to parking, such as overstaying in a car park, parking on a restricted street, or failing to display a valid permit, the relevant forms are TE7 (application to extend time) and TE9 (witness statement).

Bus Lane and Moving Traffic Contraventions

If your penalty relates to a bus lane contravention, or a moving traffic offence such as making a prohibited turn or driving in a restricted zone (common in London and increasingly elsewhere), the relevant forms are PE2 (application to extend time) and PE3 (witness statement).

The forms serve broadly similar purposes but are not interchangeable, so using the correct pair matters.

What a PE3 or PE2 Statutory Declaration Actually Does

A PE3 or PE2 is a statutory declaration submitted to the Traffic Enforcement Centre, part of Northampton County Court, which handles enforcement matters for civil penalties across England and Wales. By making this declaration, you are formally telling the court one or more of the following:

• You never received the original penalty charge notice.
• You made representations against the penalty within the proper timeframe, but never received a response.
• You appealed to an independent tribunal (such as London Tribunals or the Traffic Penalty Tribunal), and the appeal was still undecided when the enforcement order was made.
• You paid the penalty in full before the order was made.

If the court accepts your declaration, this can reopen the case, freeze enforcement action, and in many instances remove the enforcement agent's ability to continue collecting the debt while matters are resolved.

The Critical Legal Requirement: Sworn Declarations

This is where many people run into difficulty. A PE3 or PE2 is a statutory declaration, which means it is a formal legal document. It cannot simply be filled in and posted off. It must be sworn in person before an independent authorised witness, such as a solicitor or a Commissioner for Oaths.

This requirement exists to protect the integrity of the process. The witness is not there to check whether your case is strong or weak, but to confirm your identity and confirm that you have sworn, in their presence, that the contents of the declaration are true.

By contrast, the parking equivalent, TE9, does not require this same in-person swearing before a third party in the same way. It is a witness statement rather than a statutory declaration, so the formal witnessing requirement that applies to PE2 and PE3 does not apply in the same manner.

This distinction is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of the TEC process, and getting it wrong can delay matters significantly.

Practical Steps If Enforcement Is Continuing Despite Payment or Challenge

If you find yourself in this position, here is a sensible order of action:

1. Gather your evidence first. This includes proof of payment (bank statements, transaction references), copies of any challenge or appeal correspondence, and proof of postage or online submission if available.
2. Check which type of contravention applies. Confirm whether you're dealing with parking (TE7/TE9) or a bus lane/moving traffic matter (PE2/PE3).
3. Contact the enforcement agent to flag the dispute, though be aware this alone rarely halts action quickly, since many agents will continue unless instructed otherwise by the court or the original authority.
4. Complete the relevant form accurately, setting out clearly which of the statutory grounds applies to your situation.
5. Arrange for the declaration to be sworn, if a PE3 or PE2 applies, before a solicitor or Commissioner for Oaths.
6. Submit the completed, sworn form to the Traffic Enforcement Centre without unnecessary delay.

Why Speed Matters

Enforcement agents are entitled to add further fees at each stage of the process, including compliance fees, enforcement fees, and in some cases sale or disposal fees. The longer the dispute drags on unresolved, the more these costs can escalate. Submitting a properly completed and, where required, properly sworn statutory declaration as quickly as possible is generally the most effective way of bringing enforcement action to a halt while the underlying dispute is examined.

It's also worth noting that submitting a PE2/PE3 or TE7/TE9 does not guarantee that the penalty will be cancelled. What it does is reopen the process so that your case can be properly considered, rather than allowing enforcement to continue on the basis of a potentially flawed or outdated record.

Where an Independent Witnessing Service Can Help

For many people, the biggest practical obstacle isn't understanding the forms, it's arranging to physically attend a solicitor's office or Commissioner for Oaths at short notice, particularly when bailiffs are already active and time feels short.

This is where a dedicated appointment-booking service can be useful. Our service arranges an in-person witnessing appointment for a fee of £49, helping you get your PE3 or PE2 sworn correctly and promptly by an authorised, independent witness. This fee relates to the convenience of arranging the appointment itself; it is not a court fee, and it is not fixed or set by any statutory body. We do not charge for TE9 witnessing in the same way, since that form does not require the same third-party swearing process, though we can still assist with guidance on completing it correctly.

We cannot and do not guarantee any particular outcome from the Traffic Enforcement Centre, since the decision on your declaration rests entirely with the court. What we can do is help remove the practical barrier of finding a suitable witness quickly, so your paperwork can be submitted without unnecessary delay.

Taking the Next Step

If bailiffs are still pursuing you despite payment or a genuine challenge, don't assume the situation will resolve itself, enforcement action typically continues until the court formally intervenes. Establish which forms apply to your situation, gather your supporting evidence, and if a PE3 or PE2 statutory declaration is required, arrange to have it sworn before an authorised witness as soon as possible. Acting promptly gives you the best chance of halting further fees and having your case properly reconsidered.