Masked bikers descended on the council’s offices to demand motorists are paid back more than £1m in parking fines.

No To Mob campaign group members rode to York House, in Twickenham, following claims Richmond Council’s two CCTV cars have been issuing fines since 2009 without correct certification.

The group demanded the authority pays back the fines issued by the cars, which total more than £573,000 between 2009 and 2010, according to pressure group Big Brother Watch.

A council spokesman said it was currently “taking legal advice” to determine if the fines would need to be refunded.

In a statement from No To Mob, it said: “The No To Mob is making it clear that none of the money taken by the council by means of illegally-issued penalty charge notices has ever belonged to the council.

“They have no power or authority over this money, which must be refunded automatically to all of the lawful owners who we now find were misled by the council into making their payments.”

The group, which is opposed to the use of mobile and static CCTV cameras to gain revenue for councils, unrolled a banner outside York House reading: “We are watching you”, while dressed in masks from the film V for Vendetta.

Joining the protest yesterday was Felicity Smart, founder of St Margarets Parking Association, who said: “We’re in a recession and they’ve fined people more than £1m. In the middle of a recession fines hit people very, very hard.”

Whitton resident Nigel Wise discovered the council had made an administrative mistake with its certification after he was fined for parking in Powder Mill Lane, Whitton, last August.

At a successful parking appeal hearing last month, he claimed the council’s two Smart cars had not been correctly certified since 2009, meaning the council has been fining borough motorists illegally.

After the hearing the two cars were taken off the road and council leader Lord True called for a full investigation.

A council spokesman said: “We have offered the leader of the group and a small number of his colleagues a meeting with senior council members and officers. This meeting will be held once the council’s position on the repayment suggestion is clearly understood.”

One of the founding members of No To Mob, under the alias Bruce Argue, said: “We’ve made a fantastic ally in Nigel Wise. It’s nice to see the little man on the street actually doing something.”

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