A THIRD motorist from the region has been fined under London's new congestion charge scheme, even though he says he has been nowhere near the capital.

Darren Heslop has become the latest victim of scheme, being charged £40 for travelling in the city.

He said he was hundreds of miles away, at home in North Yorkshire.

The apparent blunder comes within weeks of two similar incidents being reported in The Northern Echo.

The father-of-two said he was outraged when the fine dropped through his letterbox last week. It claimed he had been driving his black Kia Sedona along Swinton Street, in London, just after 1pm on March 11.

However, Mr Heslop said he spent the day in Thornton-le-Moor and remembers taking his children to and from school.

"I cannot believe this kind of mistake has been made. It has really upset my wife, Karen, and annoyed me," he said.

"There is no way I could have been there. It would mean me travelling hundreds of miles in the space of a few hours - it's ridiculous."

Mr Heslop, who has not been to London for two years, will have to provide evidence that he was not in London in order for the fine to be dropped.

Brian and Beverley Masterman, of Scotton, North Yorkshire, were in the same situation three weeks ago when they received a letter stating they had breached the transport regulation.

A spokeswoman for Transport London Authority said there had been a handful of similar incidents across the country.

"With a scheme of this size it is inevitable that this will happen a small number of times and we apologise for any inconvenience," she said.

"It is possible that people have been doctoring registration plates and if that is found to be the case then it will be reported to the police."