A COUNCIL has admitted it was wrong after hounding a woman for a parking ticket on a car that wasn’t hers.

Paula Griffiths, of Little Wakering Road, Wakering, received a £75 fine from Rochford District Council at the beginning of last year.

The car was registered in her name, but the DVLA confirmed her signature on the registered keeper form had been forged.

However, the council continued to chase the money even after Mrs Griffiths sent in a letter from the DVLA confirming the car was not hers.

The council even sent bailiffs to Mrs Griffiths’s home address last August and the amount went up to £185 – of which she gave them £100.

The bailiffs said they would be back to collect the outstanding £85 at the end of the month, but the council has now admitted its mistake and given Mrs Griffiths her money back.

Mrs Griffiths, 59, said: “They resolved it. They didn’t give me any compensation, but they gave me my cheque back.

“They haven’t apologised. It was a lot of worry. I was very, very angry and disappointed with the council.

“They should hold their hands up really. All of the aggravation was a nightmare, an absolute nightmare.

“I knew it wasn’t my car and even when the DVLA got on to them they said no, they weren’t letting go of it. They wouldn’t listen that was the annoying thing about it.”

The problem started when crooks forged Mrs Griffiths’s signature and used her details to buy a car. When she informed the DVLA of the problem she was removed as the registered keeper of the vehicle.

The DVLA told Mrs Griffiths she should return any parking tickets or fines to the council that issued them, along with its letter to clear her name.

She returned the ticket to Rochford Council and one to Westminster Council which had also issued a fine. Westminster dropped the fine, but Rochford did not.

Rochford District Council confirmed it had cancelled the fine and returned a cheque, but refused to make further comment.