A RETIRED man from March was left shocked and angry when he received a fine for driving in a London bus lane - despite not visiting the capital since 1992.

The last time Anthony Trundle, 65, visited London it was to watch Peterborough United at the old Wembley Stadium.

So he was stunned when a �120 fine dropped through the door, showing pictures of his car being driven in a bus lane in Greenford - part of a busy London borough.

On closer inspection of the penalty charge Mr Trundle found that not only did it show the wrong licence plate, but also a different type of car.

The offending vehicle, a Ford Focus, had a licence plate just one letter different to Mr Trundle’s Ford Fiesta.

Ealing Borough Council, who issued the fine, had mistaken a ‘V’ for a ‘Y’. The council have now cancelled the ticket and apologised for the inconvenience.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Mr Trundle. “My first thought was to wonder who had had my car. The stress you get when you see that is huge.

“The last time I went to London was when Peterborough were in the play-offs. I haven’t even been out of March in the last six months.

“I’m more or less a taxi service for my family but I certainly haven’t been as far as London.”

Mr Trundle said that he had been unable to contact the council on the phone to inform them of their error.

“It’s scandalous really,” said Mr Trundle. “You can’t talk to anyone to tell them about their own mistake. I tried to call the number and all I got was an automated message.

“If I could speak to someone I’d just tell them to check before they send these things out because it can cause so much stress.”

A spokesman for Ealing Borough Council said: “This has been an error on our part and we are writing to Mr Trundle to cancel the ticket. We apologise for the inconvenience.”