Richmond Council is to refund drivers more than a £1m for wrongly issued parking tickets.
The council says around 18,500 tickets were issued by incorrectly certified Council-operated CCTV patrol cars to motorists who had committed apparent parking violations in the borough.
However, despite a ruling by the independent Parking Tribunal Service, the borough says it is under no legal obligation to return the money although it will do so.
The decision to return the money follows a vote of the full council last week.
Council leader Lord True says the borough “will write to the registered owner of every vehicle against which a ticket was issued by our camera cars inviting them to apply for a refund.
“The Council took money from people when we were not entitled to. That was wrong, and the wrong should be put right. This is the just and proportionate action to take.
True said the CCTV cars “have been taken off the road until a full review of our parking service reports back to me by November.”
Officials say the refunds will be paid for “by expected underspends in the Council’s budgets and from reserves” and inset the repayment will not require the closure of any service.
