What to do if your vehicle breaks down

When driving, it's your responsibility to ensure that your vehicle is roadworthy. However, there may be occasions when your vehicle breaks down. If this happens and you can still move the vehicle, ensure that it's not on double yellow line waiting restrictions and do not put the vehicle on the pavement (footway) or in a disabled bay. As a driver, it's your responsibility to have your vehicle recovered as soon as is reasonably possible. The council considers this in most circumstances to be a period of 24 hours after the breakdown initially occurs.

If a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) or parking ticket is issued when your vehicle is broken down, the council may accept this as a reason to cancel the notice. The driver will be expected to provide a copy of a receipt or call out document from a recovery company detailing the reason for the recovery and establishing that the vehicle was broken down. The registered keeper can challenge the PCN either through our online PCN appeals portal, by emailing parking@southwark.gov.uk or you can phone our call centre on 0344 800 2736 for further advice. If your vehicle has simply run out of fuel, this may not be accepted as a reason to cancel the PCN, as this is entirely predictable.  

Page last updated: 06 October 2021