A motorist is urging other drivers to challenge the council after he was compensated for an illegal parking ticket.

Nigel Parkin, 47, parked on yellow lines in Old Town, Clapham, at about 8am last June, believing the Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) started at 8.30am.

However, when he returned to his car he found a parking ticket from Lambeth Council for £65.

A sign next to his car stated restrictions began at 8am so he paid the fine, only to later see another sign stating the CPZ began at 8.30am.

Mr Parkin appealed the fine, but was turned down as he already paid.

Undeterred MR Parkin launched a Freedom of Information Act request that revealed variations are not allowed within a CPZ, and following a protracted battle with council officers was reimbursed £65 fine, paid £65 compensation and the wrong signs were removed.

Now Mr Parkin is fighting for other motorists stung by fines on the road to be refunded too.

But his request to offer compensation to other victims caught by the mistake has been refused.

Mr Parkin, said: "I am not the only person they have given a ticket to by any stretch of the imagination. I just want other people to get their money back."

A council spokesman said: "In this case one sign was in the wrong place, and has since been removed.

"We ensure all parking challenges are properly investigated, and have added this incident to a database for senior managers so lessons can be learnt."