Thousands of drivers refunded £120 after penalty notice error – are you owed cash?
THOUSANDS of drivers will be refunded after being wrongly issued with a penalty notice.
Around 4,700 motorists in Sheffield were mistakenly slapped with a penalty due to a technical error.
Sheffield City Council said those affected drove into the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) between Sunday March 26 and Thursday April 6 with one additional case on April 12.
The error occurred at a third-party supplier level when the clocks went forward from Greenwich Mean Time into British Summer Time.
It means they were given the wrong timestamp which then meant they were charged £120.
If the fine was paid within 14 days it is then reduced to £60.
Read more in money
Sheffield City Council is now in the process of refunding all of those who have already paid their fines.
The council is sending letters to all motorists affected so keep an eye out in your post.
If you have already paid your penalty, the council will retain the cost of the CAZ charge and refund the outstanding amount.
Drivers of smaller vehicles which do not meet emission standards are charged £10 a day for entering the Clean Air Zone.
Most read in Money
And those with larger vehicles such as buses, coaches, lorries and HGVS that also don't comply must pay £50 per day.
For example, if you paid £120 and have a smaller vehicle and drove in the zone once, then you'll be refunded £140.
If you have any outstanding penalty notice to pay you will have a new one issued but will be given the option to just pay the CAZ charge - you must pay it within 13 days
Drivers who don't take up the offer to pay just part of the cost will be charge the full penalty amount.
Counciller Joe Otten, chair of Waste and Street Scene Committee, said: “We were disappointed to learn this technical error and staff from our third-party suppliers and the Council and have been working to rectify the issue.
"We want to take this opportunity to apologise to all those that are impacted and for the inconvenience associated with this issue.”
How to appeal a parking ticket
Check what type of parking ticket you received
Official bodies and private companies have different appeal procedures, so it’s important to find out which one you’re dealing with.
Official tickets are called Penalty Charge Notices, Excess Charge Notices or Fixed Penalty Notices and you can find the name of the issuing authority on the ticket.
All other tickets are issued by private companies.
Act quickly
If you don’t want to miss out on the 50% discount, then you must act quickly as the discount will be frozen.
The deal should still apply if you file your appeal within 14 days of receiving your ticket.
Find evidence
To make your case stronger, it’s good to have some evidence to back up your claim.
The easiest way to prove that no parking rules were broken is to provide photo or CCTV evidence.
If that’s not possible in your situation, then it would help to get some witness statements.
When your illegal parking is excused by a medical emergency or condition, then you should get a doctor’s note.
Make the right type of appeal
There are three types of appeals that you can file: informal, formal and one with an independent adjudicator.
Informal appeals only apply to Penalty Charge Notices which are left on windscreens.
All you have to do is send your appeal to the local authority and include any evidence you have.
If the informal appeal is unsuccessful or if the fine was sent by post, then you’ll have to go through the formal appeal process, where you need to submit a form if you want to get your penalty overturned.
Read More on The Sun
If the dispute fails in the formal stage as well, then you can take your appeal to the private adjudicator for free. You can opt for a personal hearing or complete the process over email, phone or post.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
You can also join our new Sun Money to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.