Drivers urged to claim refunds after Surrey council issued thousands of incorrect parking fines

Thousands of drivers could be owed money after a local authority admitted it wrongly issued more than 9,000 parking fines over six years.

Elmbridge Borough Council has launched a refund scheme after discovering a procedural error affected parking enforcement in several council-run car parks between January 2020 and April 2026.

The mistake affected car parks in Esher, Cobham, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames and Weybridge, with 9,318 Penalty Charge Notices being issued in error.

The refund scheme officially opened this month, with the council urging anyone who believes they were affected to come forward.

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A council update this week showed that 137 applications had already been received. Of those, 46 had been paid, 50 were ready for payment, 22 were found to be ineligible, and 19 remained under review.

The authority said drivers can apply online or by telephone and will need to provide their contact details, vehicle registration number, proof of payment and bank details.

Dawn Crewe, Strategic Director at Elmbridge Borough Council, 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 straightforward as possible so that anyone affected can reclaim their money, and we aim to issue refunds within two weeks of a valid claim submission."

The issue related to a legal procedural error affecting parking arrangements at several council car parks, the council explained.

While the council has agreed to refund parking fines, it will not refund the cost of parking tickets bought by motorists.

Explaining the decision, the council said drivers who paid for parking still received the parking service they purchased.

In guidance published on its website, the council said it had considered whether interest should be included but concluded that only the value of the original fine would be repaid.

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The council added that the refunds will be paid from existing parking reserves and insisted that no services would be cut and no new charges would be introduced to cover the cost.

Council leader Mike Rollings also apologised to motorists affected by the mistake.

"We're determined to put this right quickly, and we will open a clear, simple refund process as soon as possible so people can get their money back," he said.

Meanwhile, Councillor Kirsty Hewens, Portfolio Holder for Enterprise, Parking and Local Economy, said she was sorry for the "real inconvenience" the penalties may have caused for some people.

"I encourage anyone affected to contact us so we can process their refund. Once a claim is approved, we aim to pay refunds within two weeks," she added.

As part of efforts to prevent a repeat of the issue, the council revealed it is putting the correct legal framework in place for its parking arrangements.

The authority also plans to trial 30 minutes of free parking in more council car parks and reduce charging hours in town centre locations, which will come into force from July 2026.

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