Received a letter today from Newlyn Debt Collection Ltd about a PCN - contravention date 18/09/12 so nearly 3 years ago. Contravention details: 'parked after the expiry of paid for time at a pay & display bay'. This is the first I've heard about it.

They say their clients are the council and the total outstanding is £82.

I'd rather eat my leg off than pay a DCA.

Went on the council's website where you can pop the details in and see if they have any photos. Sure enough, my old car, parked in a pay & display bay, with a yellow PCN ticket on it!

As this was so long ago I don't really remember it, I probably got back to the car late overrunning the ticket time and thought I'd been lucky as I don't remember any PCN. Certainly didn't get any letters about it thereafter and since then I've sold the car, and moved house a few times.

What should I do? Thinking I should contact the council, ask about the PCN, and just pay it if it's owed and explain I never got a PCN or NTO or any other correspondence about it?

Advice, as ever, appreciated!

Please post up a scrubbed scan of the letter. Scrubbed = redact your name & address, PCN number and vehicle reg where present. Leave everything else visible

This might be a fishing letter intended to mislead, frighten, cajole, bully you into paying up. This far removed the bailiff's warrant, if indeed there is one, has probably long expired and unenforceable. But let's make sure.

check with the TEC re the warrant.
when issued ?
what address on it ?

It is completely unreasonable to Westminster to pursue this after all this time. I have two other cases running which have not been paid. Newlyn have a bailiff company but they can't send a bailiff if there isn't a valid warrant and so they are just trying to bully you into paying. I would not pay as you weren't properly served at the time, probably. Have you moved, perchance?

If you email me at email I would be happy to take up the cudgels on your behalf. The first thing we do is ask to see every piece of paper and then show that the council have failed to properly pursue the matter which is a breach of your Human Rights and good reason to drop the matter.

If you fancy being in the papers we could approach them with your story as who can remember what they were doing in September 12, it is completely unreasonable.