A council in London has decided it must refund more than 5,000 people who were given parking tickets on its streets after finding that signage in the area was substandard.

Westminster City Council admitted signs it had installed were "confusing" to motorists and could have led to people parking in bays that were actually meant for taxis. It must now pay out around £278,000 in refunds to people who were given a ticket during the time when the signs were in place.

Originally installed in 2011, the signs state charges apply to drivers who park in certain areas of central London between 08:30 and 18:30. However, crucially, they did not also indicate that the bays turned into dedicated taxi ranks after 18:30 each day.

It means those who parked in Oxendon Street, Jermyn Street and Conduit Street - largely under the presumption they could do so for free in the evenings and before 08:30 - will now receive a refund as the instructions were unclear.

Such confusion could be ironed out by having more wardens on streets to answer queries relating to parking regulations.

Councillor Nickie Aiken, cabinet member for parking, explained: "Dual use bays are all about maximising the space at the kerbside in the city to enable fair and easy parking for everyone.

"However, we accept that the parking signs in these streets could have given rise to confusion among motorists and so we are making a one-off exception - it is the right thing to do. We have now also replaced signs as a result."

The council is keen to point out the decision to refund penalised motorists is purely a "one-off" and will not become a standard procedure in the future.

Every driver who is known by the council to have received a ticket in the relevant period will be sent a form by the local authority offering them the chance to apply for a refund. It is also possible to check for details on the council's website.

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