A FURIOUS driver has been slapped with three wrongful parking fines in a month after council officers misread his customised numberplate.
Shaun Maxwell, of Beresford Road, Southend, has been hit with three fines since the council switched from physical resident parking permits to online permits.
The 59-year-old, who has had the same car and licence plate for 11 years, was hit with two fines in August after council officers misread the “O” on his numberplate for a zero.
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He successfully appealed both fines but was hit with a third last Friday.
“It’s so frustrating to go to my car and find these fines,” he said.
“I was annoyed with the first two but having chased the council down I thought the problem was solved. But now I have another one!
“How long is this going to go on for? Will I be having to appeal fines for the rest of my life?”
In June, Southend Council moved away from issuing physical parking permits for residents to place on their cars.
Now, vehicles are registered online, with the numberplates checked against a database by council officers.
“I never had a problem with the old system,” Mr Maxwell said.
“In all my years living here I never got a ticket as they would see my permit and move on. Now it seems some of the officers are misreading my plate and issuing me fines.”
He is currently in the process of appealing the latest £70 ticket.
“I am furious,” he said.
“It’s gross negligence and is making my life so stressful. I don’t drive all that much but I need to constantly check my car to make sure I don’t miss one of these tickets.”
A council spokesman said: “We cannot comment publicly on any individual’s personal case.
"We have a robust system in place for motorists to challenge penalty charge notices, including a stage where an independent adjudicator will review all of the evidence provided by both the council and the driver.
“We encourage anyone who believes they have received a penalty charge notice unfairly to challenge it, following the instructions on their parking ticket.
"Further information about parking fines can be found by visiting www.southend.gov.uk then selecting parking from the home page.”
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