A city worker, Naeem Alam (30), was fined for driving in a bus lane on Christmas Day, even though there were no buses running on that day.
Alam had appealed against the £130 penalty which was rejected. However, Barking and Dagenham Council eventually admitted that a mistake was made and did not charge him.
Recalling the experience, Naeem Alam said, “I was driving back from my sister's after Christmas lunch. There was a vehicle a few cars in front that wanted to turn into a petrol station. It was Christmas Day and I knew buses weren't running, so I moved into the bus lane for about eight seconds. The bus lane ended after those eight seconds.
He continued, “On January 4, I received a PCN. To my surprise the contravention was being in a bus lane- which I found rather bizarre, because there aren't any buses on Christmas Day. I was really baffled by the whole thing.”
A spokesman for Barking and Dagenham Council admitted that a mistake was made. He said, “This PCN should not have been issued as we do not enforce on Christmas Day. We would like to apologise to Mr Alam for any inconvenience.”
