Car Impounded Due to Missing Number Plate – Can I Challenge the £192 Fee?

Hi everyone, looking for some advice.

My car was impounded because it didn't have a registration plate. My rear plate had gone missing, and I only noticed it in the evening. As the shops were closed, I couldn't get a replacement that day, so I planned to get a new plate fitted the next day.

However, when I went back to my car the next morning, it had already been impounded. The recovery company told me that the car didn't have a front plate either. I'm certain the front plate was on the car when I parked it, so I'm wondering if someone removed it overnight.

I spoke to the police, and they told me that a vehicle parked on a public road must display both registration plates. They also said that if the plates were missing, the vehicle should not have been left on a public road. The problem is that I don't have access to any private parking where I could have moved it, and it wasn't possible to get a replacement plate fitted that night.

I had to pay £192 to recover the vehicle.

Does anyone know whether I have any grounds to challenge the impound fee or claim the £192 back? Has anyone been in a similar situation and successfully appealed?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.