Operators and appeals
Euro Car Parks petrol station charge: can you be fined in the queue?
A Euro Car Parks notice from a petrol forecourt is a private parking charge, not a council PCN. The CMA opened an investigation on 15 July 2026 into whether charges while queuing for or using pumps, car washes and other forecourt services are fair, and into ECP's wider appeals process. That probe does not cancel your letter. Appeal on signs, consideration time, what you were doing on the forecourt, and the deadline on the notice.
What to do with a Euro Car Parks petrol forecourt parking charge - CMA investigation facts, queue and pump disputes, evidence and how to appeal.
Euro Car Parks (ECP) runs ANPR at many UK petrol stations as well as retail car parks. Drivers get a charge after a short queue for a pump, a fill-up that ran long, or a wash. On 15 July 2026 the Competition and Markets Authority opened a consumer-law investigation into two things: whether it is fair for some drivers to be charged while queuing for or using petrol pumps and other forecourt services such as car washes, and whether ECP's wider appeals processes - at petrol stations and at car parks - breach consumer protection law.
The CMA published the case the next day. It is gathering evidence from July 2026 through around spring 2027. It has not found a breach. Opening a case is not a finding, and it is not a refund scheme. Your notice still has a deadline.
Step-by-step overview
Use this sequence before you pay or submit your appeal. Match each step to the evidence and deadlines on your notice.
- 1Confirm it is Euro Car Parks, not the petrol brand
The garage name on the canopy is not the company you appeal to. Use the ECP reference and portal on the letter.
- 2Note what you were doing, not only how long you were there
Queuing for a pump, filling up, using the shop, the car wash or waiting for a space are different facts. ANPR often times the whole forecourt stay.
- 3Photograph or recall the signs at the entrance you used
Forecourt rules are easy to miss from a queue. Write down any maximum stay, 'customers only', consideration time and whether parking bays are separate from pumps.
- 4Keep the fuel or wash evidence
Pump receipt, card line, loyalty app and car-wash ticket help show you were using the service the site exists for.
- 5Appeal to ECP before the printed deadline
The CMA investigation is not a pause button. If ECP rejects you, check whether POPLA applies on the rejection letter.
What the CMA is and is not looking at
- Charges issued while drivers queue for, or use, pumps and other forecourt services
- ECP's appeals handling at petrol stations and at its car parks
- No conclusion yet, and no assumption that ECP has broken the law
- A separate December 2025 CMA administrative penalty of £473,000 for failing to comply with an information notice. ECP appealed that penalty. It is not a finding that the petrol-station charges themselves were unlawful
The same July 2026 CMA package also wrote to other private parking operators about appeals and extra recovery charges. A headline about ECP does not mean every other operator's forecourt notice is cancelled either. Appeal the letter you have.
Why forecourt charges happen
- Cameras time the vehicle from the moment it enters the forecourt, including the queue
- A short maximum stay (sometimes 15-30 minutes) that does not match a busy site
- Signs that are hard to read from the entrance or from a pump lane
- Using the shop or wash after filling up, counted as one stay
- Stopping to decide whether to wait for a free pump - the consideration period on the industry Single Code is usually at least 5 minutes to read terms and leave if you do not accept them
What is already in the industry rules
ECP is a BPA operator. The BPA/IPC Single Code already requires a consideration period before you are treated as having accepted the terms, and a grace period after a permitted stay on most time-limited public sites. Clearly signed short-stay areas can have no grace. A petrol forecourt is often treated as that kind of short-stay land. The government Code laid in October 2026 is not in force yet and does not wipe existing notices. A queue that ate the whole 'free' window is a facts-and-signs appeal, not a claim that petrol-station parking is banned.
What to put in the appeal
- Site name, PCN reference, registration and the entry/exit times on the notice
- What you did: queued, filled up, paid, washed, or used the shop - in order, with minutes if you know them
- Fuel, shop or wash proof with time and location
- Photos or a description of the entrance and pump-lane signs, including any maximum stay
- A request for ANPR timestamps, camera locations and any consideration or grace ECP applied
- If relevant, that you never left the vehicle in a marked parking bay and were in the service queue
What to do if you already have a charge
- 1Use the ECP route on the letter
Do not write to the petrol brand and assume that closes the file. Keep a copy of what you send.
- 2Do not pay first if you intend to appeal
Payment usually ends the appeal. The discounted window is commonly 14 days. An appeal is a separate clock, often 28 days.
- 3If rejected, use the independent code on the rejection
BPA membership normally means POPLA. You need the verification code. The CMA case is not an extra appeal body.
Common questions
Can Euro Car Parks charge me for queuing at a petrol station?
Operators do issue charges timed from ANPR entry, which can include the queue. Whether that is fair on your site turns on the signs, the time allowed and what you were doing. The CMA is investigating that practice. It has not banned it. Appeal with a timeline and the fuel receipt.
I only used the pump. Why did I get a parking charge?
On many sites the camera treats the whole forecourt as controlled land. Filling up is still a stay if the signs set a time limit or a 'customers only' rule you are said to have broken. Show the pump transaction and ask how the times were calculated.
Does the CMA investigation mean I can ignore the letter?
No. The case opened on 15 July 2026 and is in information-gathering, listed through spring 2027. No infringement finding has been made. Deadlines on your notice keep running.
Should I mention the CMA in my appeal?
You can note that the regulator is examining forecourt charging and appeals. Lead with your facts: queue, pump, signs, times. A headline without evidence will not decide the case.
Is there a 5-minute free period on a forecourt?
The industry Single Code requires a consideration period - usually at least 5 minutes - to read the terms and leave if you do not accept them. It is not a free five-minute park on top of a fill-up. A long queue can still eat a short maximum stay. Short-stay areas can also have no grace period. Ask ECP what period they applied.
The petrol station staff said they would cancel it. Is that enough?
Only if the operator actually cancels the PCN in writing. Staff goodwill is useful context. The appeal still goes to ECP.
Is this the same as a supermarket ParkingEye charge?
Same type of private charge, different operator and usually a much shorter time limit. Appeal to the company on the letter. ParkingPack covers private operator notices, not council or TfL PCNs.
Was Euro Car Parks already fined by the CMA?
The CMA issued a £473,000 administrative penalty in December 2025 because ECP failed to comply with an information notice. ECP appealed that penalty. That is not a finding that the petrol-station charges themselves broke consumer law. Do not treat it as a reason to skip your own appeal.
Will I get a criminal record?
No. Private parking charges are civil contract disputes. Ignoring letters can still lead to debt recovery and, in some cases, a court claim.
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