Like you mentioned I'd have to ring and ask the local council. Edit: But retrospective knowledge is stupid, I've now done some investigation and i'm now sure the place i parked is NOT on the road

Sorry, Probably it came across the wrong way I was using "they" - meaning the DVLA , I didn't mean you made the interpretation Edit: Any advice how i can fight this?

In that case Why did they then only use the term "road and public highway" when mentioning where you cannot park? This was never explicitly described in this way to me when i was declaring SORN. Not everyone is an experienced expert analyst on this issues. If this wasn't designed to catch people out and make money, it should be explicitly explained. On my own part i genuinely made investigations of where i could park it and DVLA office I rang up who said i've got to obtain permission. If instead it was described the way you described it, I would known my local council car park is a road. That has never been described as a road before all my life. It was never described to me that an estate car park is also a public highway ( I'm unemployed on JSA, so i made all the efforts to ring up and investigate, yet it was never described this way) the phrase normally said to make you accept whatever they want to dish out on you is "ignorance of the law is no defense". Equally the maker of these rules also have the responsibility that when they write these rules they don't hide under their blanket, expecting to catch people out and say "hey have you not heard "ignorance of the law is not defense?" " I think these rule makers pick and choose when to make things explicit. When they can make fast money they don't. When it becomes a matter of positive PR they do. Just a quick example (not to go too far off topic) When the government wanted its PR refurbished against bankers (due to public bashing) they made the bankers pay PPI refunds even though something about the insurance interest rate was written somewhere in the small print at the time they signed it, but if it wasn't clearly (explicitly) explained to you, you could claim your refund. (The way they put it is even funny "... if you did not understand...).

Hello, A policeman arrive at my flat recently saying my vehicle, which I had declared SORN, was illegally parked on the public highway. Soon the vehicle was towed away and a couple of days afterwards I received a hefty fine letter from the DVLA The fact of the matter was that my car wasn't parked on the road or a public highway, infact at the time i was declaring it SORN I first rang the DVLA (because i didn't have a garage, i only live in a small flat) and i was told i could on a place which is not the public road/highway as i long i got permission from the owner (not exact quote as i didn't record it). I soon rang the council up and was told they won't be enforcing any parking restrictions at the parking space in our estate, (by this time because things were getting convoluted, i recorded about 75%-80% of this conversation, for reference) But the DVLA letter isn't giving me any chance to state my case, instead it threatens court action if i don't up within 14 days! Any help and advice please