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A man was fined £500 and woken up by bailiffs knocking on his door after a W on his car’s number plate was mistaken for another letter.
Steven Ward, 41, first received a letter from Birmingham City Council in June 2022 asking him to pay an £86 clean air zone fine.
He phoned and sent evidence that his vehicle had been in Oldham – not Birmingham – at the time of the alleged offense and as he heard nothing he assumed the case was closed.
But Steven got a second letter – an extended fine – last December asking for more money, this time from CDER Group.
He called and got CCTV from a silver Vauxhall Corsa with the number plate ending in AMO or AHO.
But Steven sent back a photo of his car, a red Peugeot 206 with the registration number AWO. He claims he was told no further action would be taken after pointing out the error.
Steven Ward with his car – a red Peugeot 206 with the registration number AWO
The photo evidence sent to Steven Ward – a silver Vauxhall Corsa with the number plate ending in AMO or AHO
So Steve was shocked when bailiffs came to his door on the morning of January 13 asking for £499.
He says workers from enforcement firm CDER Group disturbed him after a night shift and gave him a warning, warning that if he didn’t pay, they would take his car – so he stumbled.
Steven has now received his money back from the collection agencies.
But the lorry driver, from Oldham, Gtr Manchester, said: ‘It’s just not right.. I had no choice [but to pay].
“It was horrible and so humiliating, that all the neighbors saw two people come and take money that I really didn’t owe.
“I’m not happy at all.”
Steve was shocked when bailiffs showed up at his door on the morning of January 13 asking for £499
Steven had started work at 4pm the day before the incident and finally went to bed at 5am – before being woken up at 9am.
Steven said, “I saw them taking pictures in my driveway, so I went down to find the letter.
“Someone or some machine must have confused the Vauxhall Corsa registration with my Peugeot registration.
“I was afraid this would happen and I checked with them, but they said everything was fine.”
Steven claims he was told he had to pay or his second car – a blue Vauxhall Astra – would be taken away within an hour.
The bailiffs also said they would also take a red and black Citreon from his partner Danielle Clarke, 28, he claims.
Steve said, ‘On the phone I had explained what they told me earlier and they said I didn’t have to pay.
“But when I told the bailiffs they just said I had to pay or they would take the cars.
‘I even showed them the picture of the silver car that was actually in Birmingham that day, but they weren’t interested.
“They said I would also have to pay the cost of towing the cars.
“They said there was nothing they could do because it went through the courts. I couldn’t let them take that Astra because it’s precious to me.’
Steven says he has since been refunded and a screenshot of his bank account shows a payment of £499 from CDER Group on January 26.
Steven had assumed the case was closed when he produced photo evidence of his car
Birmingham City Council said: ‘The council follows the law enforcement process for issuing and enforcing fines.
“This process offers a number of options to appeal or challenge a fine.
“Also, at each stage of the process, the options for a challenge are set out so that anyone who receives a writ understands how to pay or contest it.
‘ANPR cameras provide a high degree of accuracy in capturing vehicle registration numbers, but reading errors sometimes occur due to dirty, damaged or altered license plates or position of license plate mounts, therefore there are contributing facts that can lead to a possible reading error.
“There is a legal process to enable motorists to contest a notice of fine and each case is assessed on its individual merits to decide whether or not the notice should be cancelled.”
The standard price is £120, or £60 if paid within 14 days, the council said.
When a representation against a notice of fine is received by the council, a formal response is issued, they added.
“In cases where a license plate may have been misread, motorists must follow legal process to allow for an investigation and if confirmed, the case will be cancelled.”
Each case will be assessed on its individual merits to decide whether or not to cancel the notice, the council said.
It is clear that the municipality will further investigate Steven’s complaint.
MailOnline has contacted the CDER Group for comment.
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