A London plumber with autism has endured months of distress after Transport for London (TfL) wrongly issued multiple Ulez fines due to his van's number plate being cloned.
Joe Russell, 28, faced court action and bailiff visits despite providing evidence that another vehicle was using his registration plate illegally.
The ordeal began in April when TfL started sending penalty notices with photos of what appeared to be Russell's Peugeot van driving through low-emission zones.
His mother Kay Russell, 64, quickly identified that while the photographed vehicle bore her son's number plate, it was an older Peugeot model with different features, she told The Sun.
Despite immediately reporting the cloning to police and obtaining a crime reference number, the family found themselves embroiled in an escalating legal battle.
"When I spoke to somebody at TfL, they said, 'Well, anyone can stick a badge on anywhere'," Kay Russell explained.
"It is the Peugeot badge, it is clear where it is. And if my son had removed it, you'd see where it was," she told The Sun.
The family discovered the discrepancy when comparing genuine fines with fraudulent ones.
"When you see two vehicles next to each other, you can clearly see that the front of the cloned van is completely different to my son's - like where the badge is," Russell said.
The genuine van has its Peugeot badge on the grille, while the cloned vehicle's badge appears on the bonnet.
The situation deteriorated further when TfL took the case to court but failed to properly notify the Russell family.
MORE LIKE THIS:
"We weren't even advised about the court date. We didn't get the chance to defend ourselves or explain anything."
The stress intensified when bailiffs arrived at their home, leaving the family anxious and confused. The mother told The Sun: "I don't know where I stand. Every time I try to phone a solicitor, they tell me it's going to cost me more money than the fines are."
Now, due to his autism, Russell can only work on construction sites rather than in people's homes but, due to the stress imposed by the fines, he has had to take a job further away for less money.
The constant worry about receiving more penalties has now led him to avoid driving in London completely.
TfL has since acknowledged the error and resolved the situation for the Russell family.
"We are very sorry that Mr Russell has been a victim of vehicle cloning," a TfL spokesman said.
They further confirmed they had reviewed eight outstanding penalty charge notices as five were found to be legitimate charges incurred by Russell's vehicle, while three were confirmed to have been caused by the cloned vehicle.
TfL has cancelled all outstanding fines and remaining balances.
They confirmed that all penalty charge images are checked by two staff members before being issued.
Drivers who suspect their vehicle has been cloned can provide evidence such as tracker reports, witness statements, or photos showing vehicle differences.
Find Out More...
Joe Russell, 28, faced court action and bailiff visits despite providing evidence that another vehicle was using his registration plate illegally.
The ordeal began in April when TfL started sending penalty notices with photos of what appeared to be Russell's Peugeot van driving through low-emission zones.
His mother Kay Russell, 64, quickly identified that while the photographed vehicle bore her son's number plate, it was an older Peugeot model with different features, she told The Sun.
Despite immediately reporting the cloning to police and obtaining a crime reference number, the family found themselves embroiled in an escalating legal battle.
"When I spoke to somebody at TfL, they said, 'Well, anyone can stick a badge on anywhere'," Kay Russell explained.
"It is the Peugeot badge, it is clear where it is. And if my son had removed it, you'd see where it was," she told The Sun.
The family discovered the discrepancy when comparing genuine fines with fraudulent ones.
"When you see two vehicles next to each other, you can clearly see that the front of the cloned van is completely different to my son's - like where the badge is," Russell said.
The genuine van has its Peugeot badge on the grille, while the cloned vehicle's badge appears on the bonnet.
The situation deteriorated further when TfL took the case to court but failed to properly notify the Russell family.
MORE LIKE THIS:
- Drivers warned of M25, M6 and M62 closures this weekend
- Sadiq Khan’s Ulez sees motorists fork out millions in penalties despite pleas: 'Not about money'
- Ulez fines soar to £438million as petrol and diesel drivers 'deliberately evade' daily charge
"We weren't even advised about the court date. We didn't get the chance to defend ourselves or explain anything."
The stress intensified when bailiffs arrived at their home, leaving the family anxious and confused. The mother told The Sun: "I don't know where I stand. Every time I try to phone a solicitor, they tell me it's going to cost me more money than the fines are."
Now, due to his autism, Russell can only work on construction sites rather than in people's homes but, due to the stress imposed by the fines, he has had to take a job further away for less money.
The constant worry about receiving more penalties has now led him to avoid driving in London completely.
TfL has since acknowledged the error and resolved the situation for the Russell family.
"We are very sorry that Mr Russell has been a victim of vehicle cloning," a TfL spokesman said.
They further confirmed they had reviewed eight outstanding penalty charge notices as five were found to be legitimate charges incurred by Russell's vehicle, while three were confirmed to have been caused by the cloned vehicle.
TfL has cancelled all outstanding fines and remaining balances.
They confirmed that all penalty charge images are checked by two staff members before being issued.
Drivers who suspect their vehicle has been cloned can provide evidence such as tracker reports, witness statements, or photos showing vehicle differences.
Find Out More...