Southwark Council has rowed back on its claim that it refunded 429 motorists who were mistakenly charged by bus-lane cameras in Dog Kennel Hill, East Dulwich.
The News reported last month that the council issued 1,193 fines to drivers – on third of whom had parted ways with their cash – because they had crossed into the bus lanes going up and down the hill.
The administrative mishap arose because both cameras should only have been picking up drivers while the bus lanes were active (from 7am to 7pm), when it had wrongly been catching drivers 24/7.
The council then issued a statement saying 429 drivers had had their money returned after the council realised its mistake.
But the report sparked a backlash from readers who are still waiting for their refunds.
One resident who preferred to remain anonymous told the News: “I’ve still not received my refund at all.
“A neighbour of mine got a letter saying she was caught in this period, but she didn’t get a ticket. She had a letter from the council saying they were going to refund her pro-actively, but she hasn’t had one either.
“Three of the tickets I got were for going down the hill and there are still no times displayed on the one going down the hill. They’re being cheeky aren’t they?”
Cllr Ian Wingfield, cabinet member for environment and public realm, said: “When the matter was first brought to our attention we thought any outstanding refunds would be dealt with quickly.
“Unfortunately the process of financial due diligence took longer than we expected, but we will be completing all refunds as soon as we can and I apologise for the delay and any confusion this has caused.
“In addition the signage has now been changed to reflect the correct hours to prevent this happening in the future.”