What happens if you don't pay your bus lane fine
If you don't pay your bus lane fine (Penalty Charge Notice), we can go through a series of processes to get the money from you.
If you have received a bus lane fine and want to pay it, please see our Pay a bus lane fine page.
If you want to challenge it, see Challenge a bus lane fine. If you have not paid or challenged the fine:
The payment required will have increased by 50% when the Charge Certificate is issued.
Other ways to pay
- automated payment line 0330 0884 785
- telephone: 0191 384 6633
Challenging a Charge Certificate
You can't challenge a Charge Certificate.
We will register the total fine as a debt at the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC) and is the same as a County Court Order. We will send you the appropriate form after the debt has been registered at the TEC, and you may submit a witness statement.
A sum to cover court costs will be added to the fine.
Witness statement
A witness statement is an oath sworn by someone who has a debt registered against them. You may only make a witness statement if you:
- did not receive a PCN
- made a representation to us but did not receive a Notice of Rejection
- appealed to an Adjudicator but did not receive a response from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal
- have already paid the fine
You must submit the witness statement by the date shown on the Order for Recovery. If you need more time to submit it, you may apply for it, using a PE2 - application to file a statutory declaration out of time form. The form can only be used to extend time for submitting the statement, not to dispute the fine.
Proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against you if you make, or cause to be made, a false statement in an application without an honest belief in its truth.
A Warrant of Control allows us to recover an unpaid fine using certificated enforcement agents, authorised by the County Court to recover the debt(s).
The enforcement agents will add their charges to the outstanding debt.
Challenging a Warrant of Control
You can't challenge a Warrant of Control.
- Email parkingservices@durham.gov.uk
- Telephone 03000 263 985