Motorists could have unwittingly paid out for parking fines they should not have received – due to a signage blunder.

The legal error emerged after Roger Brown dropped off a package at a friend’s house at South Hill Avenue in South Harrow on January 3 and was shocked when he returned to his car to see he had been given a £120 parking ticket for stopping in the South Harrow Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ).

Mr Brown, 55, from North Wembley, had not seen any warning signs when driving and so appealed the fine.

He said: “For the council it is a major revenue stream and when people who are doing their bit to make sure they park responsibly, it is unfortunate.”

The IT worker received a letter on February 12 from a council officer confirming his appeal had been upheld but the correspondence proved even more insightful.

The letter said: “Further investigation has confirmed that the CPZ signs at the beginning of Roxeth Green Avenue and in Eastcote Lane are not present. I have liaised with the relevant department to investigate why and when signs were not present at the above locations and will take the necessary steps to rectify the situation.”

Mr Brown realised there could be others like him who had received an illegal penalty charge notice (PCN) but had settled up none the wiser.

“The council should play fair,” he said. “If they are going to have controlled parking zones, they should be abundantly clear.

“People need to question these charges because the council are not going to do anything unless people actually write to them.”

Mr Brown asked the council if it would reimburse fellow motorists.

The council’s senior enforcement officer Hozefa Adamji replied: “This is a private matter between the borough and the individual to whom a PCN has been issued.”

A council spokesman said: “There were highway works just before Christmas to improve the layout of a roundabout and relocate signage.

“It appears that some of the signs were not replaced, therefore in the circumstances, we were obviously not going to contest the appeal against this ticket.

“We are checking the number of PCNs issued on this stretch of road. However, we do not believe there has been a disproportionate number of appeals compared to any other part of Harrow.”