You can try a polite letter to the local authority, but as you yourself could see that they were double yellow lines, I wouldn't be very hopeful if I were you. Wasn't there also a notice on a post nearby?

Hello Ewan, welcome to the forum. I presume the ticket is a Penalty Charge Notice and not a Parking Charge Notice. Big difference. If so then you can only rely on their appeals procedure. In which case you need photographs of the yellow lines to illustrate how their visual effect has diminished. Another exercise is to examine and photograph any signage which indicates parking conditions and restrictions and to check with the relevant bye-laws to ensure these are correctly displayed in terms of height, frequency and clarity etc. They might say that even if the lines are faded the signs should have been obvious to you. The appeal will have the effect of suspending the fine until a decision is reached. After that I don't know if the early payment option will remain open to you. You will have to check the ticket or appeal documents to establish that. Let us know how you get on. Good luck. Concrete

No chance.

The council have council toadies crouching round every bend just to catch people like you out. And if they they miss you, the cameras won't.

And they hope to hold the Olympics here. Green and Pleasant Land?

My a***