Lewisham Council has cancelled more than £55,000 worth of fines after floods forced motorists to drive through low-traffic neighbourhoods.

Firefighters tackled floods as high as six feet in Meadowcourt Road and Eltham Road on January 6.

Lewisham Council had promised not to penalise drivers who took alternative routes due to closed roads.

It posted on social media at 11am that "PCNs will not be issued to anybody" due to the floods.

It then issued 421 penalty charge notices (PCNs) worth £54,730, as reported by the Telegraph. 

Resident, Annie Kirby, heard that people had still been fined - with many paying the £65 reduced rate to escape the full £130 penalty, unaware of the council's promise.

Annie reportedly took a screenshot of Lewisham Council’s tweet at the time “to be safe”.

She made the council cancel the fines and refund more than £18,000 in payments it had already received, which set a new record for successful appeals.

Annie told the Telegraph: “'Lewisham Council didn't seem to care how these fines upset people.

“It simply wasn't fair, the council was in the wrong by saying one thing and doing another.”

The refunds were made nearly three months after the main pipe burst.

A spokesperson for Lewisham Council explained that the fines were issued in error due to miscommunication, and apologised to those who had been penalised.

The full statement from Lewisham Council reads: “As a result of an internal miscommunication in relation to the implementation of this policy, a number of PCNs were issued in error on January 6.

“While many of these PCNs have already been cancelled, we have cancelled any outstanding PCNs issued on this date and are refunding anybody who has already paid a PCN issued in error on this date.”