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London councils face repaying millions in parking fines

Five London councils may have to repay over 5 million pounds of parking fines to motorists after a BBC London investigation proved hundreds of their parking bays have been unlawfully operated.

There are 346 diplomatic parking sites in the city, reserved for foreign embassy staff, these are in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Camden, and Islington

The diplomatic bays are not "standard" bays therefore, councils have to get permission from the secretary of state for transport before installing road signs.

Permission has not been asked for meaning that the signs displayed did not comply with the law - and were technically classed as "illegal obstructions of the highway", according to the Town and Country Planning Act.

Therefore every parking fine and car-towing carried out in these unauthorised bays since the 1970s is therefore unenforceable.

Expert Witness Richard Bentley, of RMB Consulting, an independent traffic signs consultant concuded that, Failing to have signing approved by the government means nobody can be penalised.

and that the councils have been acting unlawfully.

By law, everyone given a ticket in an unauthorised diplomatic bay within the past six years is now able to reclaim the money, meaning an estimated refund figure of £5m.

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