THOUSANDS of drivers could still be paying to use pay and display parking bays on Sundays despite the council agreeing last month to scrap the extended charging times.

Campaigners thought they were victorious after Redbridge Council bowed to months of public pressure to drop its proposals to extend charging hours to between 7am and 7pm, Monday to Sunday, at a cabinet meeting on September 6.

But despite its promise at the time to immediately revert the parking restrictions to their previous hours, almost four weeks on people claim that no signs have been changed, while the council admitted it is still two to three weeks from reversing the extension.

The authority spent £40,000 on implementing the unpopular proposals in roads around the borough, including shopping areas in South Woodford and Woodford Green.

But traders and residents say the signs have not been updated and a council officer told the Guardian that microchips to change the enforcement hours that were ordered straight after the cabinet’s decision will still take two to three weeks to arrive.

Ray Phipps, 50, of Grosvenor Road, Wanstead, said: “That’s just shoddy. People are throwing their money away. Will they refund people charged for parking outside the new hours?”

Eleven days before the decisive meeting, a council spokesman told the Guardian: “[The council] will not be proceeding with the current proposals. This means that the on-street pay and display hours will now revert to the previous times of 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday.”

But Tim Smith, 37, who co-owns Creative Biscuit arts and crafts shop in George Lane, said: “It’s still absolutely the same - the signs still say 7am to 7pm.

“It’s nonsense, shops will suffer from shoppers being discouraged to use their local high streets even though the council agreed to drop it and people will lose money.”

Melvyn Marks, 56, of Peel Place, South Woodford, said: “It’s ridiculous, I will phone Councillor Michelle Dunn (cabinet member for highways) about this because it’s not on.”

Council officer Cliff Woolnoth said at an area two committee meeting last night: “The decision to revert back to 8.30am to 6.30pm was communicated to our parking contractor.

“They were asked to relax restrictions during those times and also put up appropriate signs on the pay and display meters.

“Unfortunately this has not been carried out and further instructions have been issued to the contractor.”

UPDATE: Cabinet member for Highways Cllr Michelle Dunn said on October 3: "Following the cabinet meeting of September 6, we commenced the process to revoke the appropriate Traffic Management Orders and officers instructed our contractor APCOA to take no enforcement action at the appropriate sites.

"The process to revoke the appropriate order takes some time and unfortunately it appears that APCOA staff have accidentally issued a number of tickets to motorists. Permanent change over of machines will happen by 14 October.

"The council would like to apologise to anybody affected and will of course deal sympathetically should any motorist wish to appeal against the issue of a ticket at these times. The council has put signs on all parking meters with the following information:

"Weekdays and Saturdays – tickets required between 8.30am-6.30pm Sundays – no ticket require. Machines will continue to accept payments made before 8.30am so please do not put any money in until 8.30am.

"If you believe you have been wrongly issued with a Penalty Charge Notice due to the new enforcement times, please write to Parking Management, Informal PCN Challenges, PO BOX 750, Ilford, Essex, quoting the PCN number."

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