A digital revolution is set to clear the 250,000 appeals against fines brought every year by people living in Rome, some 80 per cent of which involve traffic offences. In this way, the council hopes to clear its backlog and cash in on millions of euros in limbo. Rome district will therefore be the first in Italy to say farewell to its paper-based appeals system, which has been log-jammed by lack of staff. Over the next few month all appeals will be scanned and entered into a system shared between the various authorities (traffic police, fines office and district authority). Once the three bodies have entered their data and conclusions, the programme will automatically send the decision to the individual in question. The system should be up and running before the end of the year, according to Prefect Achille Serra.