NEARLY 70 local residents issued with a parking ticket in the last two months could be about to get their money back. A poorly-framed piece of legislation means that thousands of illegal parkers across the country are about to get off because of a technic

NEARLY 70 local residents issued with a parking ticket in the last two months could be about to get their money back.

A poorly-framed piece of legislation means that thousands of illegal parkers across the country are about to get off because of a technical loophole.

The Traffic Management Act 2004, Section 6, which was rushed through for implementation on March 31 this year, was flawed.

It means that none of the civil enforcement officers - the new name for parking attendants - employed since March 31 are legally able to issue tickets for off-street parking.

A St Albans District Council spokesperson said: "This only affects two officers within the St Albans district and they have now been reassigned to dealing with on-street parking which remains unaffected. Likewise, any civil enforcement officers employed prior to the introduction of the new legislation are not affected."

The two officers have issued 67 penalty charges and the council has received £780 to date. Even though the penalty charges were correctly issued for genuine offences and there is photographic proof of the contraventions, the council will be cancelling them all and returning any money to motorists.

Tory group leader on the district council, Cllr Julian Daly, said: "It's almost unbelievable. Although the repaid penalty amounts may be small, council staff time will be wasted to sort out the results of the Government's incompetence. The cost of that will fall on all of us as local taxpayers."

The council, along with many others throughout the country in non-metropolitan districts, is making representations to the Government for the legislation to be corrected.