Parking Control Management Uk Ltd - Took Picture Of My Car

[Frankieola]

Hi all, Wondered if you could give me some advice. I was in Grahame Park in Hendon today and needed to pop to the Sainsbury's local store. There was a lay by to the side of the store which had cars parked in it already and I pulled in, was just about to get out of the car and a bloke walking past said "Don't park here mate, its a loading bay and they are taking pictures of the cars".
I thanked him and got back in the car but as I was pulling out into the traffic, a woman appeared and took a picture of my car and the registration plate.
I went back there later (without the car!) and fair enough, there are 4 signs up but they are at least 10ft in the air and the wording of them is tiny, there's no way anyone could read them without getting on top of them. They say the usual about agreeing to pay consideration in the form of a parking charge, £100 and £60 if paid within a time period etc.
I must have only been there for about 3 minutes at the most and there was no ticket put on the car but what do you reckon I should do? To make matters more complicated I've only just moved and the car still registered to my old address!
Any advice would be much appreciated, Thanks

[Baldric]

Apart from a notice on the wall which I assume you had to stand on the roof of your car to read have you been given any indication that you are being charged, if you haven't, forget it.

[tonyav]

If you get a ticket I'd ignore it if I were you, Frankieola.

[Mamyalynne]

Just wait, probably nothing will happen - but please remember you must change address with DVLA.

[bhg481]

I've just looked on Google Streetview. Admittedly it's a bit out of date but "LOADING ONLY" is clearly written on the road surface alongside what I believe is the lay-by you are referring to. If you feel the signs are not obvious you can appeal - in Reading, where I live, the council had to refund a lot of parking fines a few years ago because the signs were deemed to be "not clear". If you do appeal it's worth saying that you are new to the area and moved immediately you realised it was a loading bay.
Incidentally, you say the signs are 10ft in the air and the wording is tiny, so no-one could read them without getting on top of them. You then go on to say what was written on them - how did you read it? Be careful what you say at an appeal, if it comes to it.
I think I'm correct in saying that an appeal "freezes" the time before the £100 fine becomes payable.

[TWR]

Go back to the area & take a Photo of the sign to the position of your car.

[TheChair]

"clearly written on the road surface alongside what I believe is the lay-by you are referring to. "
Clear written is not the same as clearly visible. If there were vehicles already parked there, the road surface would not have been visible.

[bhg481]

The writing is on the carriageway ie, not in the lay-by, so visible if other vehicles are parked. Could be obscured by vehicles driving past the lay-by but they, of course, would be moving.