Grandad hit with Clean Air Zone fine, despite being '145 miles away preparing for school nativity'

A grandad has been handed a £120 fine for driving in Birmingham's Clean Air Zone, even though he claims he was 145 miles away at the time.

Phillip Morton received the letter on New Year's Eve to say he's been caught inside the city centre zone, on Hall Street in Great Hampton Row, just before 9am on 10 December.

But Mr Morton says he was in fact in his home town of Hampshire preparing to watch his 8-year-old grandson in his school nativity play.

When he examined the fine and the photographic evidence, the grandfather-of-five says he was confused as the car in question was not his red Vauxhall Antara but instead a red Corsa.

Mr Morton suspects that the Clean Air Zone camera misread the letters O and D on the number plate and says he plans to appeal the fine.

"Surely there's something wrong with the system which is picking up cars which are not even in the city at the time" he says.

The retired bank worker explains: "At first I thought somebody had cloned my car registration but I got on to the council website and when I put in the PCN and registration, I saw it was a red Vauxhall Corsa."

"The camera had read the number plate incorrectly- it's the same registration except for one letter. It had read the 'D' as an 'O'."

Mr Morton says he's submitted his case and after looking online he discovered many other cases where the "cameras have not done their job."

He says it's frustrating that he now has to provide proof that the "system is flawed".

Birmingham City Council said "if a driver feels they have received a PCN unfairly, they have a right to appeal and can do so via the online form."

It adds "the council are aware of this case and are responding."