A Devon driver is perplexed after receiving a Clean Air Zone fine for her motorhome – while the document shows a car with a different numberplate.
The 74-year-old former council employee and her husband share a Bürstner motorhome which is currently being kept off the road 180 miles away from the city.
So they were baffled to find a penalty charge notice (PCN) had been issued to them for an unpaid CAZ charge – despite her never having visited Birmingham in her life.
READ MORE:Huge apology over wrong Clean Air Zone fines costing thousands
The pair use the silver motorhome to go on holidays to the Outer Hebrides but have taken it off the road for the winter and made a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).
She realised the vehicle which had been clocked in the CAZ was in fact a green Toyota people carrier with a numberplate similar to her motorhome.
The numberplate of the Toyota begins with an “M” and the motorhome’s plate begins with “W”.
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The mother-of-one has appealed the fine – worth £60 rising to £120 if unpaid within 14 days – and has been told to expect a response within eight weeks of her complaint on December 13.
She said: “It’s rather worrying that either the equipment they have got is not up to the job – or the people monitoring the pictures perhaps need a trip to Specsavers or a bit more training. It’s appallingly bad.”
She said she did not feel pressure to pay the fine as she is confident the council will recognise the error.
But she said when she first opened the PCN, she had feared the numberplate had been cloned.
She said: “I am just appalled that the whole thing is badly-equipped and badly monitored.
“I have been unwittingly recruited to do their admin for them.”
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said they could not comment on individual cases.
But they said: “The council are aware of this case and are responding. If a driver feels they have received a PCN unfairly, they have a right to appeal and can do so via the online form.”
The case follows other instances of drivers disputing fines issued to them for the CAZ.
READ MORE:Woman gets £2,280 in fines for Birmingham Clean Air Zone – despite living 160 miles away
Among them is Ruth Costello, 57, from West Sussex, who received 19 fines totalling £2,280 despite never having driven in Birmingham.
Birmingham City Council leader Cllr Ian Ward (Lab, Shard End) recently apologised to those who have received fines incorrectly.
He said at the time: “The problem here is that the way the scheme is administered has been set by the Government.
“We have been writing to the Government, making them aware of these deficiencies in the system and we continue to lobby the Government to learn the lessons from the cases […] highlighted.”
The Clean Air Zone has been introduced to tackle poor air quality in the city responsible for a reported 900 deaths per year.
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