The driving fines keep coming for Streatham couple who should be exempt

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A disabled mum and her sick husband have been slapped with £2,340 in incorrect fines by a council for driving in a controversial low-traffic zone.

June Lord, 45, and Darren Grimes, 52, have received 18 penalty charge notices (PCNs) from Lambeth council for driving down roads near their home in Streatham – despite having a blue badge allowing them to do so.

Since autumn 2022 motorists have been banned from turning down certain streets in the area as part of a scheme which aims to make walking and cycling safer.

But mum-of-three Mrs Lord and her husband, who both suffer from multiple chronic illnesses, have an exemption for the two streets – Hillside Road and Rosedene Avenue – which allows them to drive down them.

Despite this, over the past 18 months they’ve received 18 letters from the Labour-run council threatening them with £130 penalties for using the roads.

Mrs Lord, who suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome and joint dislocations among other illnesses, said: “I’m fighting to drive down my road. I don’t understand why they [the council] can’t get it right.

“On Saturday I went out and came back and there was another one [fine] sat there. We have to fill out a form online to appeal them. Some days I haven’t got the energy to be doing that. I have nerve pain and I don’t want to be typing it out.

“We worry about missing something. When you are suffering from health problems you don’t want to be on high alert. Last year we went away on holiday. You think, what if we miss one while we are away?”

The couple’s nightmare began in late 2022, shortly after the council launched the Streatham Hill low traffic neighbourhood. They received nine incorrect PCNs in the first two weeks, but these were cancelled after Mrs Lord emailed deputy council leader Rezina Chowdhury explaining the problem.

Months passed without any letters and the couple had almost forgotten about the issue when they received another incorrect fine through their letter box. Since then the PCNs have not stopped arriving.

Mrs Lord said: “I’m struggling. I have got three outstanding [fines] that I can’t face filling in the form to appeal. It’s taking a lot longer to hear back from them when we submit an appeal and I don’t know what else to do.”

A Lambeth council spokesman said: “We have reviewed the PCNs and will investigate why they were issued. They will be cancelled and we apologise for the concerns raised.”

Pictured top: June Lord, an undeserved local traffic zone victim (Picture: Robert Firth)