A technical fault with variable speed cameras on some of England's major roads has led to a small number of drivers being incorrectly fined for speeding, National Highways has confirmed.
The Nature of the Fault
The government agency identified an anomaly in the way some cameras interact with electronic signs on sections of motorways and major A-roads. This issue caused a slight delay between the speed limit changing on a sign and the camera system updating.
This meant drivers who slowed down promptly after seeing a new, lower limit could still be incorrectly detected as speeding by the camera for a brief moment. National Highways has apologised to anyone caught up in the error.
Scale of the Problem
Since 2021, the agency has recorded approximately 2,650 "total erroneous camera activations" on the impacted roads. It emphasised that this equates to fewer than two faulty activations per day across the entire network.
Importantly, not every activation resulted in an enforced penalty, so the number of drivers actually receiving an incorrect fine is lower. To provide context, National Highways stated there have been over six million total camera activations on the same roads during this period.
The problem affects only around 10% of England's Strategic Road Network, which includes all motorways and key A-roads.
Rectifying the Error and Next Steps
A spokesperson for National Highways said: "National Highways apologises to anyone affected. They will be reimbursed and have points removed from their licence where relevant."
The agency confirmed it will directly contact all affected drivers and that steps are being taken to remedy any incorrect enforcement action. It has developed a data check to prevent future wrongful prosecutions and is working with police forces to implement it.
Nick Harris, Chief Executive of National Highways, stated: "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."
The agency stressed that speed enforcement remains active and that drivers must continue to observe all posted limits. It also announced plans to increase other safety measures across its network.
