Driver fined £69 after 'Clean Air Zone' camera snaps van on back of AA lorry

17 November 2023 , 09:56

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Her van was being carried on an AA lorry (Image: Eve Scragg/BPM Media)

A woman whose van was being taken on a a breakdown recovery vehicle has been handed a Clean Air Zone fine.

Eve Scragg, 38, said she was left "confused" after receiving a letter from Bristol City Council accusing her of breaching the ULEZ-like restrictions over pollution using her van in the city centre. But when Eve was sent a photo to show the evidence - she was left laughing.

The photo revealed Eve's van had gone through the city centre at the Bath Road Bridge junction on September 25 - on the back of an AA recovery truck. Eve appealed the £69 fine, but admits she still has not heard anything from the council.

Eve, who lives in Easton, Bristol, owner of Fan The Flames Marketing & Design, said: "When I opened the fine I was a little confused as I knew I hadn't driven through the clean air zone. I'm always careful to pay the charge in advance if I do, but then laughed when I saw that the van was so clearly on the back of a recovery truck.

Eve said her van was clearly visible on the AA lorry (Eve Scragg/BPM Media)

"It's a bright yellow ex-AA van on the top of a huge yellow AA lorry, so you can't exactly miss it! I appealed the fine as it's clearly incorrect. The fact that I got the fine shows that they don't have a human sense-check before sending out the PCNs, and their systems aren't up to scratch."

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She was given a £69 fine (Eve Scragg/BPM Media)

Due to the limited time period in which people can appeal fines, Eve says she was thankful to have picked it up in time. She added: "Hopefully I'll hear from them with a cancellation soon, but if I hadn't spotted the fine and appealed it in time I would have been left with a hefty fine.

The fine handed out by Bristol City Council (Eve Scragg / SWNS)

"There's only a limited period in which you can appeal, so if you're away for example, it seems pretty unfair to be landed with the charge and threats if you don't pay it. The garage I took the van into said apparently it happens all the time. "Bristol City Council really need to fix the issue, or at least check the photos before sending out the fines." A council spokesperson acknowledged the penalty charge notice had been sent out in error and had now been cancelled.

Tim Hanlon