THOUSANDS of drivers slapped with parking tickets near Hampden Park may have been unlawfully penalised by Glasgow City Council, it has emerged.

The Scottish Parking Appeals Service is due to rule next week on whether signs warning motorists about restrictions are too high.

A preliminary hearing was held yesterday following a year long legal battle by one motorist who was given a £30 fixed penalty for parking in Kingshill Drive during the Diamond League athletics event at Hampden on July 12 2014.

Both the driver and her husband, who have asked not to be named, said they did not see signs warning that dozens of streets around the stadium are part of a ‘Restricted Permit Zone’.

Official paperwork suggests the signs should be 4.2 metres from the ground but some are almost five metres high.

The driver’s husband told Adjudicator Ian Kennedy that they are “unlawful”.

Speaking at yesterday’s hearing at The Appeals Service in Glasgow’s Wellington House, he insisted he and his wife “genuinely didn’t see the signs” and “wouldn’t have parked there if they had”.

He said: “To set out to install signs on 4.2 metre poles and then to actually install signs at 4.7 and 4.8 metres shows negligence on the part of Glasgow City Council.

“I strongly believe that this will have been brought to the council’s attention before now because there have been more than 6000 penalty charge notices issued in that area.

“I believe that there is a public interest to be served so that councils are dissuaded from behaving disingenuously and effectively extorting money from motorists in future.”

Figures produced at the hearing show 6,199 fines were issued in the two years from January 1 2013 - 1,010 were appealed with 716 of these appeals rejected.

Many of the fixed penalty notices will have been paid by sports fans who attended Commonwealth Games events and cup finals.

Adjudicator Ian Kennedy said: “It may be that there are broader issues triggered by an examination of your case. The first obligation for me and for you is to sort out your case.

“Whether that means there are implications which are broader, we can only find out by deciding your case. If it’s a problem for you, it may be a problem for others.”

Mr Kennedy said he will make a legal determination “over the weekend” but may decide to adjourn the case until he receives further information from the council.

The driver’s husband added: “If the council’s behaviour is fair, I’m happy to take it on the chin and pay the fine, but if it’s patently unfair, as I believe it is in this case, then I’m prepared to take it all the way.

“The council has put me through eleven months of a very hard time and I have no reservations whatsoever about exposing their antics.”

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said: “Everyone has the right to appeal and as this is currently with the independent adjudicator, it would be inappropriate for us to comment.”