Motorist's 'car clone' fury (From The Argus)

Motorist's 'car clone' fury

8:00am Thursday 26th October 2006 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

A motorist was accused of speeding while her car was still parked outside her work.

Paula Moreton got a ticket for breaking the speed limit in Essex despite never having visited the county.

Her VW Golf was apparently recorded by a speed camera hurtling down a trunk road near Ilford two weeks ago. But Mrs Moreton, 42, said she was parked outside a bank in Burgess Hill.

She believes she has become the latest victim of "car cloning".

Mrs Moreton, of Swan Close, South Chailey, near Lewes, said: "I got a letter in the post on Monday. When I saw the address I thought, I've never been to Essex'."

"It wasn't me and it wasn't my car, yet they want me to pay a fixed penalty. I'm outraged but more concerned someone is driving around with the same number plate as me."

According to the ticket, a vehicle with Mrs Moreton's registration was caught on camera on the A2931 at midday on Thursday, October 12.

The vehicle was clocked travelling at 52 mph in a 40 mph zone.

Mrs Moreton said her vehicle was parked behind the Alliance and Leicester in Church Road, Burgess Hill, at that time.

She said she has spent hours on the telephone trying to explain to police but has only been told to send them a photograph of her car.

She said: "Basically it's up to me to sort it out, even though I've done nothing wrong."

Her husband Steve Moreton, 43, said: "When the letter turned up Paula was shocked. We've been passed from pillar to post trying to sort it out and they've made us out to be the guilty party.

"It seems people are driving around noting details of cars and passing them on for others to forge so they don't have to pay the congestion charge in London.

"There isn't a process for dealing with these cloned cars, even though it seems to be happening to thousands of people."

Police said drivers who received fixed-penalty tickets but were innocent should follow the legal process as far as the courts but campaigners said victims of car cloning had little recourse once they received fines.

Nigel Humphries of the Association of British Drivers said: "This is one of the reasons why automated enforcement is wrong. It almost invites people to clone number plates.

"It's happening more and more and victims feel increasingly intimidated. Some may give in and take the fine even though they've done nothing wrong."

The Metropolitan Police was unable to comment.