A FAMILY, who staved off bailiffs by paying over £1,000 in parking charges that they were led to believe were illegal, are furious that the council has refused to refund their money.

Raphaela Derrick, of Aldersbrook estate, Wanstead, dipped into her savings and paid fines of at least £1,198 after her daughter received dozens of parking tickets at her home in the privately owned Chilton's estate, South Woodford - despite having a valid resident's permit.

When they put in an enquiry with the council, the family were initially told that traffic wardens had no right to work in the area, so left the matter, assuming it was in hand.

But the Derricks coughed up the cash after they began receiving threatening letters from bailiffs, in the belief that they could claim it back later from the council.

Mrs Derrick asked Redbridge to clarify the rules last December, but received no response until four months later while her daughter continued to receive the tickets.

She has now been told that the wardens do have a right to work in the estate, and while fines issued since December will be revoked, any money already paid will not be refunded.

Mrs Derrick said: "They have wiped the tickets off since December saying that will compensate for the money we have spent, but it doesn't even come close.

"We have run into debt now and I feel aggrieved that they haven't made it clear that the area is a public highway as they say.

"I think the whole thing has been dealt with extremely badly.

"They didn't deal with the issues as they happened and just let it run and run which is why the situation escalated."

She added: "I think it's a money making racket but I'm going to have to rest my case with it.

"I would take it to the small claims court but if I lost I would have to pay more money and end up even more out of pocket."

Mrs Derrick's daughter pays £825-a-month rent for her flat in the Chilton's estate, where a sign in the car park clearly states: "Residents Only Parking."

A spokeswoman for Redbridge Council said: "An officer from our Parking Management Team spoke to Mrs Derrick last week and informed her that a detailed plan of this road would be sent to her and the Management Company to help her understand which areas were available for parking, the boundary between the public highway and the private estate and where parking is not permitted.

"Due to the confusion experienced regarding this matter and because of the large amount of Penalty Charge Notices received by Mrs Derrick's daughter, we have exercised discretion and allowed some of these to be cancelled."