A London motorist received the shock of his life after a routine check on a £100 parking ticket uncovered a staggering £23,500 debt allegedly owed to the council.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, was floored when the online payment portal for Westminster City Council displayed the astronomical sum attached to his vehicle. What began as a simple penalty charge notice (PCN) investigation spiralled into a revelation of a catastrophic administrative error.
The system showed a mind-boggling 235 separate fines, all incorrectly assigned to his car. The driver immediately knew something was terribly wrong, stating the figure was "impossible" for him to have accrued.
Upon contacting the council, he was met with what he described as a frustrating and convoluted process to resolve the glaring mistake. The case shines a harsh light on the potential flaws within automated council systems and the immense stress such errors can cause for innocent individuals.
Westminster City Council, once made aware of the significant blunder, swiftly moved to correct the record. A spokesperson acknowledged the error, confirming it was a case of mistaken identity where another vehicle's fines were incorrectly linked to the wrong car.
This incident serves as a cautionary tale for all drivers to regularly check their vehicle's status with local authorities. It also raises serious questions about the checks and balances within council parking enforcement IT systems to prevent such alarming errors from occurring.
