Councils have hit out at claims thousands of people could be owed money after they were unfairly given parking tickets.

London Councils has accused BBC's Inside Out show of misleading motorists after it alleged 16 local authorities, including Sutton Council, had given out unlawful parking tickets meaning people should get refunds.

The show, screened on Monday, claimed Sutton Council was among a group which did not get Department for Transport approval for suspended parking signs. It said court case in Camden in 2010, where a woman got a ticket overturned because of a non-approved sign, set a precedent.

But London Councils, which is advising Sutton Council on this matter, said legal precedent cannot be set in parking ticket disputes and that as long as signs are clear they are valid.

A spokesman added: "Motorists may have been misled by BBC Inside Out London into wrongly believing they may have a claim related to historic cases."