Lambeth Council has been compared to Stalin's Russia after it reversed enforcement at a junction once labelled as a cash cow.

Despite conducting a review which found there was "nothing at fault" with the design or arrangements for enforcement at the Salters Hill junction in Upper Norwood - which dished out a massive 6,286 penalty charges notices just in 128 days - Lambeth Council has not restarted using CCTV monitoring there.

According to a spokesman, the council is instead "looking at the possibility of improving the junction further - in a way that would improve safety and make it easier for drivers to negotiate." While the council is examining this possibility the junction will not be enforcement.

Opposition Councillor Julian Heather branded the council's shift in attitude as an admission that there was a problem with the junction. "They never admit they are wrong - it's almost like Stalin's Russia where the regime is always right," he said.

Coun Heather said he will now write to the head of the transport and highways department in the council to demand people issued tickets at the give way junction are given refunds.

"It seems contradictory - if they are so adamant nothing is wrong with the set-up then they would have put back the CCTV," he said. "I know drivers who avoid using that road now and when law-abiding drivers are frightened they will get a ticket there's clearly something wrong."

Enforcement at the junction stopped on July 5 after opposition councillors demanded a review to look into why so many drivers had fallen victim to the mobile CCTV enforcers in Smart cars there.

Jonathan Greatorex set up a website dedicated to crazy parking stories after being fined at Salters Hill. He claimed CCTV images used by the council to show he had broken the give way rules had been manipulated and is waiting for his appeal in January.

"A lot of people said the designed is flawed," he said. "If over 6,000 people are caught at the junction in a short space of time it shows it needs to be restructured."