BBC Reports on refunds for Yorkshire motorists

Another piece by the BBC's Look North on 30th May 2008, this time highlighting how many Yorkshire councils have been fining people illegally ... setting up a potential windfall for motorists bigger than the bank charges fiasco.

Expert explains parking law

Motoring lawyer Oliver Mishcon explains what effects the government advice about illegal parking fines could have.

Illegal parking fines row

The government says councils should consider giving back money collected from illegal parking fines.

This story was initially covered nationally on BBC breakfast and is now slowly gathering momentum across the regions.

How much money has your council had illegally?

How many signs and lines do not comply with the law in your area?

Do you work for a council who is trying to cover this up? If so, let us know.

All communications are treated in the strictest confidence enquiries@parkingappeals.co.uk

It's only a matter of time before the very reluctant Police forces (who see no criminality in 'councils' deceiving the public) across the land are forced to investigate what has become the biggest highway robbery since Dick Turpin rode Black Bess.

Perhaps someone so incensed with the injustice of it all will say enough is enough or, have you paid a ticket you believe was issued in an unlawfully marked rea that the council knew was illegal?

Drop us a line...

Parking Victory over Southwark Council

When Donna became so frustrated a Southwark Council's refusal to believe that she had not overstayed parking using her Blue Badge (for her registered blind son) she contacted Parking Appeals.

What makes this case even more offensive is that Donna, a busy Mum with three children one of whom has a disability and a full-time job, supplied video evidence as proof that she was not at the location in question during the period alleged. She had gone to school where she works as a teaching assistant after dropping him off and then returned to pick him up for lunch some three hours later. The Council claimed she had been parked there all that time.

When appeals fell on deaf ears we passed the case over to Oliver Mishcon ... aka Judge Tread.

Southwark capitulated and cancelled the ticket.

This is a warning to all councils out there who think that their glory days of picking on and abusing motorists and vulnerable members of society are going to continue ... you could not be more wrong. Game's up guys ... and all those years where you have thought you were above the law are now going to come back and haunt you.

To the whistleblowers ... keep the information coming, its only a matter of time before this out of control, lawless highway robbery that passes itself off as 'civil parking enforcement' is brought to an end.

The Sunday Mirror's Judge Tread takes Offence

Looks like Medway Council's parking woes are set to grow.

Legal expert Ollie Mishcon aka Judge Tread has also picked up on Medway Council's non-compliant Notice to Owner.

Where does that leave motorists who have paid?

Well, anyone who ticked the box and then lost an appeal should ask for their money back. However, this will be an even bigger embarrassment for the National Parking Adjudication Service whose adjudicators failed to pick up on this fundamental 'offensive' error (in over 970 appeals)*... and who have yet again been shown up to be crassly incompetent ... no offence intended.

If that is the case then you can ask NPAS for an out of time review.

To add to the NPAS embarrassment, at the Traffic Law Seminar in Leeds in July 2003 ( the minutes of which are on the DfT website) councils were told by the National Parking Adjudication Service (the adjudication body to deal with appeals after a council has rejected an appeal against a Notice to Owner) to 'mind their language.'

Parking matters are no longer 'offences' ... they are contraventions. 'A person is no longer guilty of an offence.'

Well, perhaps the adjudicators should have been told as well 'cos it looks like quite a few non-compliant notices have slipped through somebody's fingers.

Parking Appeals is the website campaigning for the rights of beleaguered motorist ... and exposing those councils who think that they are above the law.

Remember, NPAS receives 60p from EVERY PCN issued in the country, and that is their only source of funding.

* Medway NPAS Appeals
2000-2001 = 118
2001-2002 = 204
2002-2003 = 190
2003 = 176
2004 = 95
2005 = 191
Total 974