Drivers refunded £68k over parking fine errors

Reading Borough Council admitted last year it had wrongly issued about 6,100 penalty charge notices

A council has refunded nearly £70,000 to motorists who were wrongly issued parking fines over an 11-year period.

Reading Borough Council admitted last year that it had wrongly issued about 6,100 penalty charge notices (PCNs) between 2013 and 2024.

A report by the council's audit and governance committee found more than 1,100 claims related to PCNs had been submitted so far, with 714 of those approved for a refund.

Figures showed a total of £68,000 had been refunded by the authority as of the end of August, including time-and-trouble and interest payments.

In an effort to get people to apply for refunds, the council said it sent 1,250 letters to motorists whose details it still had on file after realising the defect.

In October 2024, the council confirmed to the BBC that it may have to reimburse more than £357,000 to those affected.

The council's chief executive, Jackie Yates, said the authority "sincerely apologised" to people affected by the mistakes.

Five areas were affected by the errors across different time periods, the authority said.

These included the East Reading Red Route and a handful of parking zones around the Berkshire town.

As of the start of 2025, about 5% of issued fines had been refunded by the council.