MOTORISTS fed-up with having to fork out parking fines now have an unlikely champion for their cause a 12-year-old girl.

Ivy Rong Qi is fighting back against the council's parking charges, even though she cannot legally take the wheel for another five years.

The young campaigner plans to send a petition to Greenwich Council after her mum suffered at the hands of traffic wardens.

She is also angry about a new permits scheme which means residents in her road, Ruddstreet Close, Woolwich, have to pay to park at home.

Ivy, who attends Blackheath High School, was outraged when her mum Linda Xie was given a parking ticket in August.

Ironically, she got the ticket while parked outside Peggy Middleton House, Woolwich New Road, Woolwich, where she was buying the permit she needs to park at home.

Ivy said: "The fine my mum got was really unfair. She was trying to do the right thing but she got punished for it.

"These fines are very frustrating and totally profit-oriented."

The schoolgirl says it is "ridiculous" her mother and her neighbours have to pay £40 for a permit to park in their own road.

She is now urging people in her street to sign the petition, which she plans to send to the council.

Ivy added: "The council should give drivers a fairer deal. Why should people have to pay to park outside their homes?

"I doubt I will change their minds but I just want them to know how unfair I think it is."

A Greenwich Council spokesman said the parking zone was introduced in Ruddstreet Close in January, following a consultation with residents.

The council says residents will have a chance to give feedback on the scheme early next year.