Days are numbered for parking fine appeals

Drivers are getting better at avoiding fines, but a new gadget could make it easier for councils to reject penalty appeals. The Response Master software from London-based Barbour Logic is designed to churn out standard letters to disgruntled drivers at twice the rate authorities can cope with now.

The firm says there are up to 250 million different combinations of reply on offer, depending on the details of the appeal. All council officers then have to do is follow the on-screen prompts and tick the right boxes. The idiot-proof system renders motorists’ plea bargaining even more pointless.