Pensioners scared to go home as letters come through their doors

THE SITUATION IS CAUSING GREAT STRESS FOR ELDERLY RESIDENTS LIKE MARJ COONEY 04:00, 23 May 2025 Pensioners living in a quiet residential Liverpool street are hiding out at Tesco, scared to

return to their homes and waking up in the night worrying about being fined by Liverpool City Council. A number of older people living close to Much Woolton Primary School have told the ECHO

that they are being wrongly and repeatedly fined because of a new council initiative that is using traffic cameras to stop dangerous parking outside the school. As part of a wider crackdown

on parking and traffic violations, the local authority has placed cameras close to a number of schools in the city. The School Streets scheme brings in restrictions on driving into certain

areas at certain times based around when children are coming in and out of school.. One such scheme was launched last year in Watergate Lane in Woolton - covering the area between Woodrock

Road and Watergate Way from Priorsfield Road. This area was chosen after repeated concerns were raised about dangerous parking by parents who were dropping off or picking up their kids. The

scheme would allow exemptions for local residents, emergency services, deliveries and those with blue badges to pass through without being fined. But this does not seem to have been working

correctly for 81-year-old Marj Cooney, who has lived in Priory Way for 25 years. She cannot return to her home by car without passing through Watergate Lane and the area covered by the

cameras. Article continues below Despite being exempt, Marj has had a total of nine fines delivered through her door since the cameras went live. Each time she has to contact the council to

explain that they have made a mistake and have the charge dropped. But she has not heard back after challenging a recent penalty and has now been told the charge has rocketed because of

non-payment. She explained: "We were told that local residents would be exempt. But in total I have had nine fines up to now. I have had to challenge every one. But recently I

haven't been able to get hold of anyone. "This last one from March, I got the fine, rang up and got it cancelled. But then I got another letter saying the fine had gone up for not

paying it - up to £60. Then last week I got told it had gone up to £105 because of not paying. The letter says there is no appeal against this. "What I don't get is that they are

sending all these fines to this address, so they know I live here and should be exempt. When we complain they say they are really sorry, not to worry and that they will sort it. They might

sort that one, but then I get another one." Marj described the stress that the continual council errors are having on her and her neighbours who have also received fines. She added:

"You won't believe how stressful this is. It makes you not want to invite friends round because they might get fined. "I broke my shoulder in November and I had lots of people

wanting to visit me but I was telling them not to come at certain times because they might get fined. It was awful. One of my friends who came to help me did get a fine but she went on

holiday and didn't know so the fine went up." Jean Jorgensen, 80, who also lives nearby said: "It is happening with five or six of my neighbours who live in Watergate Way. One

of my neighbours is an even older man and he is having a terrible time. His neighbour is helping him because he's not good with computers. But they are not getting replies." Marj

added: "I go to bingo, I can't invite friends round after for fear of getting fined. They have to drop me off at the top of the road. We are in our 80s and we are waking up in the

night worrying about this." Jean added: "We go to activities and then when you come home you end up going to Tesco to wait because you are frightened to come home and get fined. It

is ridiculous." After the ECHO reported the issues facing Marj and her neighbours to Liverpool Council, the local authority confirmed the 81-year-old's latest fine had been

cancelled and said a smoother system had been put in place. A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: "Liverpool City Council can confirm that the resident’s Penalty Charge Notice has

been rescinded as she had the required parking permit at the time she was recorded on the ANPR cameras. Article continues below "A new process has recently been established, making it

smoother for residents’ permits to be issued and for the system to operate. This will mean any issues that residents living around Much Woolton Primary School faced should no longer happen.

"Council officers continue to monitor all of the School Streets schemes throughout the city to ensure the system remains operating as it should."