CCTV evidence
Councils use approved cameras, on poles, in cars or on buses, to record some contraventions. The Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) is then sent by post to the vehicle's registered keeper. A trained council officer has to check the images before a PCN is sent.
Parking in England: only in certain places
Since 1 April 2015, councils in England, including London, cannot use cameras to enforce most on-street parking rules. A civil enforcement officer has to issue the PCN on the street, by fixing it to the vehicle or handing it to the driver. On the street, cameras can only be used where a vehicle is parked or stopped on:
- a bus lane,
- a bus stop or bus stand clearway,
- school entrance "keep clear" markings, where an upright sign bans stopping,
- a red route, or
- a mandatory cycle lane (marked with a solid white line) that also has yellow lines or loading restrictions, since 22 June 2020.
Cameras can also be used in council car parks. The rules are in regulation 11 of the 2022 regulations.
Parking in Wales
Wales has no such limit: Welsh councils may use cameras for any parking contravention. The Welsh Government recommends using them only where enforcement by a civil enforcement officer is not practical.
Bus lanes and moving traffic
Bus lanes and moving traffic contraventions, such as stopping in a yellow box junction, making a banned turn, ignoring a "no entry" sign or driving in a mandatory cycle lane, are enforced by camera:
| Area | Who enforces | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| London | The London boroughs and Transport for London | £160, halved if paid within 14 days |
| England outside London | Councils with bus lane powers, and for moving traffic the councils given powers since 2022 (81 by December 2025) | £70 or £60, halved if paid within 21 days |
| Wales | Cardiff (since 2014), Carmarthenshire (2018) and Merthyr Tydfil (2025) | £70 or £60, halved if paid within 21 days |
In England outside London, for the first 6 months at each new camera site, a driver's first contravention there should get a warning letter rather than a PCN. Where a council does not have these powers, moving traffic offences are a matter for the police. Red light and speed cameras are always police matters, not council penalties: see police penalties.
Moving traffic penalties explains what counts, lists the councils with the powers and sets out the yellow box junction rules.
Approved devices
Councils may only use cameras of a type certified as meeting the legal standards: by the Secretary of State in England (regulation 4 and Schedule 1 of the 2022 regulations) and by the Welsh Ministers in Wales (the Approved Devices (Wales) Order 2013). The Vehicle Certification Agency does the certifying for both. The cameras must record clear, timed and dated images of the vehicle's registration and the location.
If you get a camera PCN
- Look at the evidence. Councils usually send a still image with the PCN or let you view the images online. Ask for them if they don't.
- Pay early to save half, within 21 days of the PCN being served (14 days for London bus lane and moving traffic PCNs).
- Or challenge it by making formal representations to the council within 28 days, and then appealing to the independent adjudicator if they are rejected. See appealing against a PCN.
This page was checked against the law in England and Wales on 22 October 2026. It is general guidance, not legal advice: see the legal disclaimer.