Why Newham LBC is Refunding £347,000

£347,000 will be refunded to motorists from Newham LBC after it was discovered they were fined illegally though dozens of cameras.

The East London local authority issued almost 5,000 parking tickets between last year and 2009 through unauthorised cameras. The council initially ignored drivers a refund to the tickets, however has now written to each of the individuals offering to reimburse the money.

A Newham Council spokeswoman said: “The Penalty Charge Notices eligible for a refund were issued between 31 March 2009 - 6 February 2013 by a small number of cameras that were not properly certified at 12 locations.

“The problem was identified and corrected. To date, 2,065 people have applied for a refund and only 134 of these are Newham residents.”

Changes to the law in 2008 resulted in twelve of Newham’s cameras being unapproved by the Vehicle Certification Agency. These cameras must be of a high enough calibre to be relied on for evidence.

The council now pledge to ensure all cameras are properly approved in the future. "Steps have been taken to ensure the certification is maintained in future." the Newham Council spokeswoman said.