Drivers wrongly fined for congestion charge breaches

Multiple motorists have reported being incorrectly fined for breaching a city's temporary congestion charge, the day before it was replaced.

On 28 September, the £5 daily congestion fee to drive past six points around Oxford was replaced with a new £70 fine as part of the Oxfordshire County Council traffic filters trial.

But drivers, including Rachel Griffin from Oxford, have said they have since received congestion charge fines for alleged breaches the day before it ended.

The county council, which managed both the old congestion charge and the new traffic filters, said it was "investigating" the issue - which it attributed to technical problems regarding permits.

For both schemes, Oxford residents are eligible for a hundred permits every year which enabled them to pass through the former charge points - now filter points - without facing a fee.

Explaining her situation, Griffin said her son had used her car on 27 September and had even checked to make sure they had enough permits.

But on Friday, she said she received a penalty charge notice (PCN) in the post and thought "how can this be".

"It was definitely the right car but it just didn't make sense, because I had the passes," she said.

Having looked to see if anyone had experienced similar, Griffin said she found more than 30 people who had taken to social media to report the same issue.

Oxfordshire County Council said it was "investigating a supplier technical issue that affected some congestion charge permits on 27 September".

This, it said had "resulted in some people receiving PCNs incorrectly".

"The issue was limited to that day, and we will contact those affected directly," it added.

Griffin said she was "glad" to hear that she would not have to pay the £35 fine - which rises to £70 if not paid within two weeks.

"I went on a phone number and it was just for paying it," she said of her attempts to appeal the ticket.

"There was no chance to speak to anybody, so that's good to know."