Thousands of motorists have been wrongly penalised after National Highways uncovered a technical problem affecting variable speed cameras on sections of the strategic road network. The fault, which has been present since 2021, relates to a timing mismatch of around 10 seconds between speed limit displays and the cameras enforcing them. As a result, some drivers were recorded as exceeding the limit even though the speed restriction had already been reduced.
National Highways estimates that roughly 2,650 motorists could have been affected and says corrective action is now underway.
Nick Harris, chief executive of National Highways, said: “Safety is our number one priority and we have developed a fix for this technical anomaly to maintain the highest levels of safety on these roads and make sure no one is wrongly prosecuted. All drivers should continue observing the posted speed limits as normal. Anyone who has been impacted will be contacted by the relevant police force.”
The organisation emphasised that the number of incorrect penalties was very small when set against the more than six million times the cameras were activated on the affected routes. National Highways has apologised to those impacted and confirmed that refunds will be issued, with penalty points removed from driving licences where appropriate. It added that measures are being taken to correct any enforcement errors, and that all affected drivers will be contacted directly.
Police forces are understood to have paused issuing penalties from variable speed cameras until confidence in their accuracy has been restored. Despite this, National Highways said it has introduced additional data checks to prevent further incorrect prosecutions and is working closely with police forces to roll out the process. It also warned that enforcement remains active and motorists who break the law could still face action.
The “anomaly”, as National Highways describes it, comes amid wider evidence showing a rise in fines for fleet drivers. Research by fleet management firm Hudson Kapel has highlighted increasing penalties for company car and van drivers, driven largely by private parking and speeding offences. Separate figures from Ayvens show that nearly a quarter of a million fines were processed in 2024, totalling 248,301 — the highest annual figure recorded by the company.
Hudson Kapel, which manages fines for large vehicle fleets, reported that private parking charges continue to make up the biggest share of penalties at 35.5%, slightly lower than the 37% recorded the previous year.
Local authority parking fines fell sharply, dropping from 12% to 8.5%, while congestion charge penalties decreased marginally from 5% to 4% as drivers became more accustomed to urban charging schemes. By contrast, speeding offences rose from 13% to 14.5%, and toll road and Dartford Crossing Charge penalties together now represent more than one-fifth of all fines issued.