Elmbridge Has Repaid 260 Drivers in Its Parking Fine Refund Scheme So Far

Drivers who picked up a parking ticket in Esher, Cobham, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames or Weybridge over the last six years should check whether they are owed money. Elmbridge Borough Council has now paid back 260 motorists after opening a refund scheme for thousands of Penalty Charge Notices issued in error, and the latest figures show the process is moving fast for anyone who applies.

The Six-Year Parking Error That Triggered The Refunds

The council discovered a procedural fault in its parking enforcement that ran from January 2020 through April 2026, wrongly catching drivers at specific times in eleven car parks across the borough. In total, 9,318 Penalty Charge Notices were issued incorrectly over that period. Council leader Mike Rollings apologised for the mistake at a Cabinet meeting in May, and council director Dawn Crewe promised a refund process “as simple as possible” once approved by councillors.

Portfolio holder Kirsty Hewens, who pushed for the refund process to open quickly, said at the time: “I’m very sorry this happened, and I know it will have caused real inconvenience for some people. That’s why I’m determined to open the refund process as soon as possible so people can get their money back.”

How Many Drivers Have Been Paid Back So Far

The refund scheme opened in June and the council now publishes weekly progress figures on its website. Between 3 June and 7 July, Elmbridge received 305 applications. Of those, 260 have already been paid, 24 were found ineligible, and 21 remain in progress. The council estimates the total cost of the scheme at roughly £308,000, funded from its existing budget rather than new charges on other drivers.

Crewe said: “We are very sorry that a procedural error led to some parking fines being issued incorrectly. Once we identified the issue, we worked quickly to put things right and introduce a refund scheme. We have designed the process to be as simple as possible so that anyone affected can reclaim their money, and we aim to issue refunds within two weeks of a valid claim submission.”

Which Car Parks And Times Are Covered

The rules are specific about which fines qualify. In car parks including Berguette, Civic Centre, Heather Place and Highwayman’s Cottage in Esher, Cedar Road and Hollyhedge Road in Cobham, Drewitt’s Court and Manor Road in Walton-on-Thames, and Churchfield Road, Monument Hill and Baker Street in Weybridge, tickets issued between 8am and 9am or between 6pm and 7pm from 6 January 2020 could be eligible for a refund.

A wider group of car parks is covered for Sunday tickets issued from 24 April 2022, including Mayfield Road in Hersham, Ashley Park, Station Avenue and Walton Park in Walton-on-Thames, and Heath North and Heath South in Weybridge. Ashley Park has its own separate window, covering tickets issued between 8am and 10am or 6pm and 7pm from 6 January 2020. Drivers who cannot remember exactly when they were fined can check their old paperwork or bank statements against these windows before applying, which speeds up the council’s review.

How To Apply For A Refund

Drivers can apply online at elmbridge.gov.uk or by phoning the council directly on 01372 474 474. You will need to provide your contact details, vehicle registration number, proof that you paid the fine, and bank details for the refund itself. The council reviews each claim and, where it approves a refund, aims to pay the money within two weeks. Applications that fall outside the affected car parks, dates or time windows will be marked ineligible, which explains the 24 rejected claims recorded so far. The council has not set a closing date for applications, so drivers who paid a fine years ago still have time to come forward.

Other Councils Have Made The Same Kind Of Mistake

Elmbridge is not the only authority correcting a parking error this year. Reading Borough Council apologised after wrongly issuing 6,136 Penalty Charge Notices between 2013 and 2024 after five Traffic Regulation Orders were never properly put in place, a mistake that cost the council an estimated £357,000 in refunds with interest. Southwark Council was separately ordered to repay 10,422 drivers after issuing bus lane fines unlawfully. Between them, the cases point to a pattern of councils tightening up how they check enforcement rules are legally sound before cameras and wardens are allowed to issue tickets.

Why Councils Can Owe Refunds Years Later

Parking enforcement in England relies on Traffic Regulation Orders, the legal documents that set out exactly where and when restrictions apply. If a council changes signage, road markings or car park layouts without correctly updating or reissuing the underlying order, any fine issued under the old rules can turn out to be unenforceable, even years after drivers paid up. That is what happened at Elmbridge, where a procedural gap meant certain time-limited restrictions were enforced incorrectly for more than six years before anyone caught the error.

These problems often sit in the paperwork rather than on the street, so drivers rarely notice anything wrong at the time. Most people pay a Penalty Charge Notice and move on, which is exactly why councils tend to find these errors through internal audits or legal challenges rather than complaints, and why the resulting refund schemes can end up covering thousands of tickets stretching back several years.

How To Check If A Council Owes You Money

If you have a parking fine from any council in the last few years, it is worth a direct check even outside Elmbridge, Reading or Southwark. Look up whether the council has published a refund scheme on its website, and if not, contact its parking team by phone or email and ask whether any Traffic Regulation Orders covering your ticket have ever been challenged or corrected. Keep hold of the original Penalty Charge Notice, proof of payment and your vehicle registration, as every scheme seen so far, including Elmbridge’s, has asked for the same core evidence before paying out.

Sources:

• Elmbridge Borough Council