A MOTORIST has been left worried after allegedly receiving 40 fines in a city he’s never driven in.
The driver, named as JM, lives more than 200 miles away from where the penalties were apparently issued.
GettyA driver has claimed that they received over 40 driving fines in London despite living 200 miles away and never having driven in the capital[/caption]
Writing to This Is Money, JM claimed that he had received a flurry of Penalty Charges Notices (PCNs) related to offences in London.
They explained: “I live on Merseyside and have never driven in London.
“But over the last few years I have received more than 40 penalty notice charges for various driving offences in London.
“I have had four in the last two weeks alone and every time I must send detailed proof that I am not at fault.”
JM also shared their fear that the charges could be down to number plate cloning, which has been on the rise in recent years.
This is when crooks create copies of other drivers’ plates and use them while committing driving offences – leading to fines being handed out to innocent drivers and even potentially visits from the police.
However, the DVLA confirmed to This Is Money that the number plate in question had not been cloned.
Instead, it was suggested that there may have been a mix-up with the number plate recognition cameras used to enforce road laws potentially confusing the letter O with the number 0 on the plate.
The DVLA further confirmed that, while it could not prevent PCNs from being issued, it had given JM a letter stating their innocence which can be used as evidence to overturn fines more quickly.
Commenting on the case, Simon Williams, the RAC’s head of roads policy, said: “Normally, multiple fines relating to one vehicle would indicate it has been cloned.
“If you receive an incorrect penalty, contact the issuing authority and explain your situation.
“If possible, provide evidence to show you were somewhere else at the time and tell the police and DVLA you think your number plate has been cloned.”
The Sun has approached the DVLA for comment.
It comes after parents were warned they could face a £500 penalty if they fail to keep control of their kids’ behaviour in the car.
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