Drivers challenge UK firm’s right to access French data over fines

More French residents have reported receiving fines of thousands of euros for driving in London’s Low and Ultra Low Emission Zones (LEZ and ULEZ) – but doubts remain about how authorities accessed their contact data.

The fines were sent by debt collection agency Euro Parking Collection (EPC), starting last November, and many relate to compliant vehicles the owners failed to pre-register before travelling.

Lawyers representing at least 40 motorists have contacted EPC and Transport for London (TfL) asking the source of the details, since Brexit brought an end to information exchanges between the UK and France.

TfL claims there is an agreement between EPC and the French road safety authority.

However, a Sécurité Routière spokesperson told The Connexion that there is no bilateral agreement in place and no commercial licence has been granted to a UK company to use vehicle registration data.

Many people who received fines for cars that comply with restrictions now report having the fines cancelled. Members of the EPC Official Complaint Group on Facebook have advised drivers to appeal against the fines via the EPC website.

This is likely to be rejected if the vehicle is non-compliant, but you will be sent a notice of appeal, allowing you to challenge the decision with the official adjudicator.

They say some people have had fines cancelled this way, by arguing they were unaware of the rules or of how to pre-register with EPC, or that they were never sent a warning letter, or by questioning how their data was obtained.

From August 29, the ULEZ area will extend to cover the whole of Greater London.

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