Thousands of parking tickets could have been unfairly dished out in Watford - an independent adjudicator has ruled.

The inspector criticised signs inside the town's match day zones, saying they do not clearly state when parking restrictions apply and place an "unduly heavy burden on motorists".

His decision means thousands of people could have been fined for parking illegally when they had not been fairly warned about match day restrictions. However, Watford Borough Council has defended the scheme, accusing the adjudicator of "creating policy on the hoof".

Currently, Watford has two electronic warning signs and 14 blue signs on the edge of the Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs). Both give details of when the next match date is.

The large blue signs are manually updated by Watford Borough Council before matches at Vicarage Road.

Smaller yellow signs, on parking meters and in each of the affected roads, provide motorists with the match day hotline to find out when restrictions apply.

However, John Parker, of the National Parking Adjudication Service, said the signs do not offer enough warning.

Instead, he wants continually updated signs on every affected street.

His ruling means the council could have to install hundreds of additional signs and questions the legitimacy of every ticket handed out on match days since 2000, when the scheme was introduced.

It also means future signs would have to be updated on a daily basis, something the council says is "untenable".

The adjudicator's damning verdict comes after Irving Goldin, from Pinner, challenged a ticket issued to his teenage daughter, Elise, in March.

She was fined for parking in Lower High Street on a match day without a pay and display ticket or a relevant voucher.

Last week, however, Mr Goldin was able to prove his daughter did not pass a warning sign on her way to work in Watford. Furthermore, she did not have a mobile phone and was therefore unable to phone the hotline.

Now he says the council should offer a refund to anyone who has been fined for illegally parking on match days in the past seven years.

Mr Goldin said: "It is my view that the council should take account of the adjudicator and to do what other councils do and put up clear signs in parking bays instructing when the match days are."

The council maintains the scheme meets Department for Transport guidelines and motorists are therefore not entitled to a refund.

It estimates 27,000 parking charges are issued in Watford each year and only 50 of those result in appeals.

Cabinet member for transport, Councillor Andy Wylie, said: "Some areas, such as Wembley, do it when they have infrequent matches but in Watford there is a match going on once or twice a week.

"We have more than 50 streets in the zones and we would have to put advance warning signs in every street and update them before the match, during the match and after the match.

"It would push the cost through the roof."

He said the council will now seek a review of the adjudicator's decision.

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