67,000 drivers win challenges against unfair parking tickets

Campaigners claimed the admission by Westminster proved it was using traffic wardens to raise revenue by issuing "unfair" tickets and demanded an investigation.

The council cancelled 67,000 of the 159,000 tickets challenged by drivers in one year, a proportion of 42 per cent.

Figures obtained by the Evening Standard show a similar pattern among other central London councils.

Lambeth cancelled nearly 40 per cent of fines that were the subject of complaints. Camden quashed nearly a third and the City of London nearly a quarter.

The figures all relate to tickets "informally" challenged by drivers before any independent appeal.

In addition, motorists won 68 per cent of the 56,350 formal appeals lodged with the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service in the year to the end of last July after their initial complaints failed.

Campaigner Paul Pearson, of penaltychargenotice.co.uk, said: "This proves that countless tickets are being issued incorrectly and parking attendants are trying it on. They are being cancelled by councils because when they are examined they do not stand up. It is a scandal.

"These figures only represent those motorists who bothered to challenge faulty tickets. Many simply pay up because they haven't got time to complain or they assume - wrongly - that they were at fault."

Mr Pearson added: "These figures also show that tickets are being issued in the name of revenue.

"The time has come for central Government to take back all revenue from parking fines as they do from speed camera fines. The level of fines should also be investigated."

The AA estimated that about half of the tickets that were challenged had been issued unfairly.

Paul Watters, head of roads and transport policy, said: "The other half were where the councils, rightly, decided to exercise their discretion. Westminster wants to be a good enforcement authority and cancelling tickets that are complained about is one way to achieve this.

"We would far rather see councils quashing a ticket early on than pushing the motorist to a formal appeal which can be a lengthy, stressful procedure."

Councils approached by the Standard said "discretion" and "common sense" played a major role in their decisionmaking processes."

Westminster said the cancelled tickets represented less than eight per cent of the 840,000 issued in total, "clearly demonstrating the competency of our parking attendants".

Danny Chalkley, cabinet member for economic development and transport, said: "We remain committed to our firm but fair approach to parking enforcement and motorists are welcome to challenge parking tickets straight away."