HUNDREDS of drivers who parked illegally in Southampton's disabled bays are to get their fines refunded because of a council parking blunder.

City transport bosses now face coughing up £20,000 in refunds plus a bill of £80,000 to put the problem right.

Tonight hundreds of letters will be sent out to motorists by the council offering to pay back the fines between £30 and £60.

Disabled rights campaigners claim it "beggars belief'' that 602 motorists should be refunded when they should not take up vital spaces reserved for blue badge holders.

The blunder dates back 18 months when the City Council took over control of on-street parking from the police.

They didn't realise that all its 1,000 disabled bays should have a little metal sign stating the space was for disabled drivers only. Under parking laws it is illegal to enforce the fine without it.

Now the council is considering putting up the signs across the city, but that will cost £80,000.

Ian Loynes, from the Southampton Centre for Independent Living, said: "It beggars belief that a technicality should have precedence over common sense, meaning these fines have to be repaid.

"It also beggars belief that whoever was responsible failed to follow the regulations properly. We pay our civil servants a lot to get it right. The whole thing is astonishing."

Southampton City Council head of transport, Rod Anderson, said: "It was an oversight and we simply missed it - which I am not proud of.

"We do play hardball with people but it cuts both ways. If drivers are wrong we expect them to pay, but if we're wrong we have to stand by it too.

"Morally we were right to enforce it, but technically we were wrong."

He said 75 disabled bays in the city are now compliant with the technical rules.

But there are still over 900 unenforceable individual bays dotted around residential areas - and legislation says there must be a sign on each of them.

Now Mr Loynes has urged motorists not to take advantage of the loophole.

"I would urge people to examine their consciences,'' he said. ''If they can walk the distance that's what they should do and leave the parking space for the people they were painted for," said Mr Loynes.

"It seems to me there can be no justification in taking advantage of a loophole like this. It would be very selfish."