Reading Borough Council expects to reimburse drivers £357,000 after discovering it had incorrectly issued more than 6,000 parking fines.
The local authority realised that several traffic regulation orders (TROs) were unenforceable after a staff member noticed an issue on the East Reading Red Route.
It uncovered errors in five TRO areas, which meant 6,136 penalty charge notices were wrongly issued between 2013 and 2024.
From next week, drivers who believe they paid a penalty will be able to claim reimbursement, subject to councillors approving the scheme.
Some drivers were also wrongly subjected to a debt recovery process over the fines. The council said it would inform these people that they are eligible for repayments with interest.
Chief executive Jackie Yates said: ‘Parking enforcement action was suspended as soon as the council became aware of the specific TRO issues and further action is being taken to ensure that the circumstances which led to this situation don't happen again.
‘On behalf of the council, I sincerely apologise to motorists for the distress and inconvenience caused.’
