Newham LBC will refund up to £347,000 to drivers given parking tickets illegally by dozens of cameras.
The council issued nearly 5,000 tickets between 2009 and last year through unauthorised cameras. After initially refusing to refund the tickets, the council has now written to the drivers to say it will reimburse the drivers.
Newham’s cameras fell foul of the law after changes to the rules in 2008. London authorities had until 1 April 2009 to ensure all their cameras were approved by the Vehicle Certification Agency. However, Newham failed to get the proper approval in 12 locations.
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.’
The council said it would ensure all cameras were properly approved in future.