Ulez fines to be refunded says TfL after vigilante attacks lead to 'dozens' being wrongly charged
This is just the latest in a line of vigilante attacks on Ulez cameras after the Mayor of London expanded the clean air zone
PA
Drivers who have been wrongly slapped with Ulez fines after driving past vandalised cameras are set to have their charges annulled, Transport for London (TfL) has said.
After a spate of "vigilante" attacks on the cameras swept the capital earlier this year, things looked to have died down.
But in another protest at the controversial clean air scheme, a pair of cameras in Chingford in northeast London had been twisted around - and ended up facing roads outside the Ulez's remit.
As a result, non-compliant vehicles were being wrongfully charged £12.50 a day - sparking uproar from those affected.
The Ulez was expanded to cover all of Greater London in August 2023 GETTYConservative London Assembly member Emma Best said that "dozens" of residents had reached out to her after being fined.
Best drew attention to locals' inability to appeal the false fines - and issued a scathing attack on TfL's charging systems, labelling the situation "absolutely ridiculous".
She said: "TfL have continually shown that they have completely lost control of the administration of fees and fines, and are not even able to correctly identify the zone.
"Dozens of residents contacted me after being fined for driving outside the zone and subsequently having their appeals rejected by TfL.
MORE ON ULEZ:
Emma Best issued a scathing attack on TfL's charging systems
LONDON ASSEMBLY"For those with auto-pay, they have discovered there is no way to challenge a charge on their account... It's absolutely ridiculous."
The auto-pay system has caught Londoners out before - in one case earlier this year, one driver from Richmond in the capital's southwest found himself in thousands of pounds of debt after a string of fines started piling up unbeknownst to him.
And camera vandalism has made headlines too in the wake of London mayor Sadiq Khan's controversial Ulez expansion in August 2023.
Residents in the outskirts of London who suddenly found themselves at the behest of the clean air scheme faced - and still face - a choice between finding a new, compliant vehicle or forking out to pay the Ulez charges.
Sadiq Khan has come under fire for expanding the Boris Johnson-era scheme
PAIn response to the scheme's expansion, disgruntled drivers began obscuring, cutting down and destroying the newly-installed cameras, much to TfL's chagrin.
In response to the uproar in Chingford, a TfL spokesman said: "We are aware that some cameras at the Ulez boundary in Chingford became misaligned through acts of vandalism to point outside the boundary.
"The cameras have since been fixed and realigned, and any penalty charges issued incorrectly during this short period will be cancelled.
"Camera vandalism will not stop the Ulez operating London-wide. All vandalised cameras are repaired or replaced as soon as possible."