Car park damage and requesting CCTV footage

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Record the incident safely

If you discover damage in a car park, note when you found it and when the vehicle was last undamaged. Photograph the location, damage, markings and nearby cameras; keep parking receipts and witness details. Do not enter live traffic to take photographs.

Immediate danger or serious injuries require emergency assistance. Follow the GOV.UK accident rules ↗: participants must exchange details, and an accident must be reported to police within 24 hours if details were not provided. Notify your insurer even if you do not intend to claim.

Identify the CCTV operator first

Check camera signs and the parking operator's, shop's or property manager's privacy notice. A camera may belong to another organisation, and its position does not guarantee it recorded your vehicle.

Contact the operator promptly with a narrow time window, date, precise location, registration, vehicle description and incident details. Ask them to preserve relevant footage for investigation and explain how it can be supplied to police or an insurer. A preservation request is not an established right to receive all footage. Retention periods vary by system.

When a subject access request is relevant

A SAR under ICO guidance ↗ allows you to request your own personal data. If footage relates to you as an identifiable person, explain how to locate you and provide reasonably necessary identity information. Keep the sending date and acknowledgement.

This is not a universal route to unedited footage of other drivers. Disclosure restrictions, redaction or the absence of relevant recordings may apply. SAR responses usually take up to one month, but do not wait that long before asking for preservation. ICO says the guidance is under review following legislative changes, so consult the current page.

Coordinate with your insurer

Before repairs, ask which photographs, estimates, police references and evidence are needed. Check the excess and repairer requirements. Cover and procedures involving an unidentified driver depend on your policy; the MoneyHelper overview ↗ explains the differences.

Do not promise repairs on an insurer's behalf or treat a private cash agreement as replacing required notification. Keep original images, reference numbers, CCTV replies and expenses together. If disclosure is refused, ask why and whether the recording can be provided officially to an investigator or insurer instead of publishing other people's images online.