I’ve been sent 12 fines costing £1k for driving in city I’ve never even been to

A COUPLE have been hounded with fines for driving in a city they’ve never even been to.

Andrew and Fiona Robison live 140 miles from Bristol yet have received a dozen Penalty Charge Notices totalling £1,000 for breaching the city’s Clean Air Zone.

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The pair own a silver Renault diesel, which doesn’t comply with the legal limits for pollution in the area, with a number plate beginning GY11.

But there is a silver Audi with the registration CY11, which is compliant, making journeys around Bristol.

The unknown motorist’s plate is attached with a dark-coloured bolt very close to the letter ‘C’.

It means the council’s cameras clock it as a ‘G’ and issue a fine to the Robisons – despite the vehicle being a different make and model.

Andrew, from Horsham, West Sussex, told BristolLive: “I have little faith that after four months this is actually being taken seriously, despite my wife being threatened with fines of over £1,000 to date.”

Thankfully, the local authority cancels the fine each time and apologises for “any inconvenience caused”.

But the Robisons have to go through the hassle of appealing after every one – and it keeps happening.

They also worry what will happen if they go on holiday or a letter gets lost in the post.

Andrew has now made a formal complaint to the council chief executive Stephen Peacock.

A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “We have been in regular contact with the Robisons to understand and resolve their case.

“We have looked into the details of their case and can confirm that the letter C on the number plate was misread by the system as a G due to the placement of a bolt on another vehicle’s number plate.

“All of their current Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) have been cancelled and they will not incur any more PCNs from now on.

“They will shortly receive written confirmation of their PCN cancellations, and they do not need to take any further action.

“We apologise for any inconvenience or upset caused by this error.”