A mother-of-four says she is prepared to go to court after refusing to pay three traffic fines.

Hushnara Ahmed, of Broadmead Road, Woodford Green received penalty charges of £155 at the end of last month after she drove through open traffic gates in Cavendish Avenue.

The gates on Cavendish Avenue, Fairlawn Drive and Kelvedon Way used to be locked between 7.30 and 10am and 4 and 7pm to help calm rush hour traffic.

But after residents fought a successful campaign against their permanent closure last year, Redbridge Council stopped locking the gates at peak hours and started using CCTV cameras instead.

The 44-year-old said: “I have been driving up and down these roads twice a day for nearly 12 years to drive my children to school.

“I have never seen the gates left open before, so to suddenly start doing so is very misleading and confusing for me and my neighbours.

“In all my 25 years of driving I have never been fined - I am extremely angry and upset about this.”

In November 2015 the council updated its website telling people CCTV enforcement would replace officers physically locking the gates from December 14.

A Redbridge Council spokesman said: “As well as publicity on our website, leaflets were sent out to residents in a number of local roads.

“Extra signs were also installed at the gates to clearly inform motorists of the new rules.”

But Mrs Ahmed maintains she was not informed.

She said: “I have never received a leaflet telling me the gates were going to be opened.

“Last week I went out and filmed the gates at peak times and loads of people are still driving through, so they clearly haven’t told people properly.

“Busy parents like me, elderly people who don’t have a computer and uneducated people who don’t know how to use one can’t be expected to check the council website just in case something has changed.

“I am prepared to go all the way to court on this – I pay my council tax, so I don’t expect to be treated in this way.”

Mrs Ahmed has written to councillors, MPs, Redbridge Council's chief executive and the local ombudsman to argue her case.

Councillor for Church End Emma Best has launched a petition asking the council to rethink the CCTV enforcement measures.

She said: “The signs are really poor and very unclear.

“The leaflets informing residents of the changes were only sent out about a week before they came in.

“The update on the council website was not easy to find, so we believe these fines are unfair.

"A flashing light system or a return to the old locking one would be much better for people in the area."

She added that the CCTV cameras are managed by a contractor, so the money collected in fines does not go back into funding council services.

Cllr Tom Mclaren, also of Church End, said: “There has been a real lack of communication on this and as a result, people who can’t afford them are being forced to pay fines.

"Mrs Ahmed is not alone, I have two or three emails a week from people who are angry about this.

"We need a rethink from the council on this one."

https://www.change.org/p/london-borough-of-redbridge-make-cavendish-and-fairlawn-gates-access-gates-for-residents-not-revenue?recruiter=66871947&utm_source=share_for_starters&utm_medium=copyLink