Unsuspecting residents on a Tottenham estate were shocked to find they had been slapped with £60 fines after parking restrictions were changed without notice.

People on Ferry Lane estate were told to pay up after the hours of restricted parking – when residents need to display a valid permit in their car – were pushed back from 8am to 10am to 11am to 1pm on weekdays.

Ferry Lane resident Peter Charalambous said the changes, which affected around half of the estate, were made without consulting the residents or giving them advance warning.

The changed times were pasted over the top of the correct times on parking signs on Yarmouth Crescent.

Mr Charalambous said: “No-one knew anything about it – no-one got any notification.

“There were 12 different cars with parking tickets. I know one person at least who paid it – they probably got scared.

“Someone went to the police station and reported it as fraud.”

Mr Charalambous accused the council’s housing arm, Homes for Haringey, and parking contractor Wing of “squeezing revenue out of residents who clearly can’t afford this extra cost”.

He said the ticket he was given had the wrong address on it – it was marked ‘Love Lane Estate’ – and so was not even valid.

Tottenham Independent:

When people complained, Homes for Haringey initially told them the only way to challenge the tickets was to go through the formal appeal process.

Mr Charalambous said Homes for Haringey seemed to be “dragging its feet” when responding to complaints.

He added: “Trying to talk to the council is really hard. I can’t get through to talk to anyone at the council.

“In the olden days, you could talk to people.”

Homes for Haringey now says the issue was down to a mistake by its contractor, Wing, and nine people who paid their parking tickets had the money repaid on Monday (February 18).

It is not the first time people on the estate have been affected by changes to parking restrictions.

Back in 2013, Ferry Lane Residents Car Users’ Group accused Homes for Haringey of failing to properly consult residents before putting in a parking restriction from 8am to 6pm – meaning many people were given parking tickets.

Their campaigning paid off and Homes for Haringey agreed to put restrictions in place from 8am to 10am.

A Homes for Haringey spokesperson said: “Over the past fortnight, we have been working with residents and contractors to clarify the situation on Ferry Lane estate.

“Our investigations have uncovered a mistake by our contractors Wing, and we’d like to apologise to any residents affected by this error.

“We will write to affected residents on the estate notifying them of the error.

“Wing will cancel any incorrectly issued tickets. Our advice is that any individual who believes they have received a parking ticket (PCN) incorrectly should submit an appeal.”