A couple from Cornwall have expressed their dissatisfaction with Bristol City Council after receiving four fines for violating the Clean Air Zone, which were wrongly issued to them and instead were intended for another driver.
Ben and Anna Ashmore, who live on a remote farm in Cornwall, approximately 200 miles away from Bristol, claim to be constantly bothered by Bristol Council’s demands for substantial fines despite not breaching the Clean Air Zone regulations.
The issue lies with Bristol’s Clean Air Zone cameras and the automated number plate recognition technology, which incorrectly identified a taxi with a nearly identical number plate as their own vehicle, reports Bristol Live.
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Dr. Ashmore, a GP in Cornwall, stated that they have appealed the charges and are hopeful that the fines will be revoked. Although the couple owns a grey VW diesel car with a number plate ending in the letter ‘S,’ each of the four fines they received from the council included a photograph of a different vehicle—a black taxi with the same number plate, except for the final letter ‘J.’
While the Ashmores’ VW is subject to Clean Air Zone charges in Bristol, they have not driven to the city since the schemes were introduced. However, the black taxi, which is running up these fines, is liable for all the charges.
Due to an error in the camera and computer technology, on four occasions in recent months, the taxi driver entered Bristol without paying the charge, resulting in a fine mistakenly being sent to Cornwall.
Dr. Ashmore has lodged a formal complaint with Bristol council, as well as appeals against each of the fines.
In his appeal, he urged the council to investigate the matter, prevent further notices from being issued, and confirm that they are not required to submit representations for each incident. He also warned that if the issue persists, he may escalate the matter to the information commissioner, as the council is holding their personal information without a valid legal reason.
Additionally, he mentioned the possibility of initiating a small court claim to recover their time and expenses incurred in defending these claims.
Dr. Ashmore is not the first individual to be fined incorrectly for someone else’s entry into Bristol’s Clean Air Zone. Another couple in Sussex has been repeatedly fined due to a small plastic cover on a bolt of their vehicle’s registration plate, which causes the cameras to misread the letter ‘C’ as a ‘G.’ Despite assurances from senior council officers at City Hall that such incidents would not occur again, the same issue recurred four times last month.
At the time of reporting, Bristol City Council was approached for a comment regarding this matter.
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