A parking campaigner has called for more than £200,000 of fines to be refunded.

Barnet Borough Council issued 4,827 parking fines within the Saracens event day zone in the year ending March 31, worth £217,215.

Derek Dishman, also known as the Times Series’ parking blogger Mr Mustard, has called for the money to be refunded, as he believes they were collected unlawfully because the traffic management did not contain a definition of what constituted an event day.

In a letter to Paul Hughes, Barnet Council’s accounts auditor for accountancy firm Grant Thornton, Mr Dishman says there were no days on which fines could legally be issued for failure to comply with event day signs.

He is calling for the money to be declared as illegally derived income.

Mr Dishman said: “For the avoidance of doubt, I am not claiming that the TMO (Traffic Management Order) was invalid, as it has to be contested within six weeks of being made and that did not happen, but on the contrary that it is valid but does not permit enforceable fines to be issued.”

Mr Dishman concludes that all income from fines issued inside the Saracens event day controlled parking zone prior to March 13 this year should be refunded to the public.

A spokesman for Barnet Borough Council said: “If there is a dispute of the accounts our external auditors Grant Thornton are obliged to investigate. That investigation is currently being carried out so we can’t comment any further until they finish their work.”