Sheffield cabbies demand action after being hit by 5,125 incorrect bus lane fines

In November, The Star revealed 4,679 bus lane charges had been issued to exempt vehicles by the council, with some taxi drivers getting 30 fines at once.

The council estimated the blunder had cost around £1,500 in postal fees. Some drivers even paid large sums of cash to bailiffs – despite doing nothing wrong.

Council chiefs blamed an IT problem and gave assurances the issue had been resolved.

But four months later, at least 446 incorrect fines have still been issued – taking the total to 5,125.

Taxi driver Ehsan Ulhaq, aged 54, of Bannerdale, said: “I must have had 15 fines since then and there will be plenty more coming.

“Every time this happens, drivers have to pay to park in the city, wait in the queue at Howden House, and then see council staff.

“It takes hours and costs us money, even though we’ve done nothing wrong.

“We could be earning money instead.”

Cabbie Yasser Nazir, 32, of Sharrow, who has been fined six times since March, said: “The council has got to do their jobs properly. We were told last year this was going to be resolved, but that has not happened.”

Council parking services manager Ben Brailsford said: “We are sorry for the issues caused by these errors.

“We have already started a full systems review which will be completed as a matter of urgency.

“Since September, we have made improvements to our systems. This has led to a gradual decrease in the number of fines issued to exempt vehicles.

“Last April seven per cent of fines were cancelled. This March that figure has fallen to below two per cent.”

He added: “Through our review, we will be working to reduce this figure even further”.