Tickets were handed out to motorists who had allegedly committed parking violations.
Richmond Council is going to repay over £1 million in wrongly issued penalty charge notices.
The tickets were handed out to motorists who had allegedly committed parking violations in Richmond.
The issue was raised after Nigel Wise, a Whitton motorist, won his appeal to The Parking and Traffic Appeals Service (PaTAS).
The decision was made after Lord True, the Council Leader, admitted tickets had been issued ‘when the authority should have known better’.
The Council is refunding the money despite the fact that it has no legal obligation to do so.
Around 18,500 tickets were paid between April 2009 and April 2011 which had been issued by Council-operated CCTV patrol cars which were incorrectly certified.
Lord True said: “The money to be returned may be up to £1 million, but the cabinet is sure it is the right thing to do.
“We are putting our money where our mouth is. This proves that Richmond Council is on the side of local people, local businesses and motorists.”
The Council has taken its spy cars off the roads pending a full review of parking service reports due in November.
No services will be cut specifically to pay for the ticket refunds as the cost will be covered by reserves and expected under-spending in the Council’s budget.
Registered owners of the wrongly ticketed vehicles will receive letters inviting them to apply for a refund.
