Speed camera glitch: could you have been wrongly fined?

Ever been caught speeding while following the rules? Thousands of drivers have, thanks to a fault in variable speed cameras on England’s major motorways and A-roads, National Highways has confirmed.

Since 2021, the agency has identified around 2,650 erroneous camera activations. That’s fewer than two per day and a tiny fraction of the more than six million activations recorded during the same period.

Fortunately, not every activation resulted in a fine, so the number of drivers actually penalised is even lower.

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What went wrong?

National Highways says a fault caused a slight delay between when new speed limits appeared on electronic signs and when cameras registered the change.

The error caused some variable speed cameras to interact incorrectly with signs, resulting in a delay of around ten seconds. This meant some drivers were incorrectly flagged as speeding despite being within the new limit.

The issue affects about 10% of England’s Strategic Road Network, including major motorways and A-roads.

Will I get a refund if I’ve been affected?

Yes. National Highways has apologised and confirmed that anyone wrongly fined will be reimbursed, with penalty points removed from their licence where applicable.

“Steps will be taken to remedy any incorrect enforcement action, and anybody affected will be contacted directly,” a spokesperson said. Those impacted by the speed camera glitch will be contacted by the relevant police force.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) confirmed that the “limited number of motorists” who were incorrectly fined will be reimbursed and have any points removed. They do not need to take any action and will be contacted about a compensation scheme in due course.

Police forces are working with National Highways, and new data checks are in place to prevent incorrect prosecutions in the future.

Still worried about speed cameras?

Speed enforcement remains in place, and drivers are urged to continue following posted limits.

“Policing enforces a range of offences, including speeding, on the strategic road network through mobile camera deployments, road policing patrols, and average speed sites. This remains unchanged,” the NPCC said.

Chief executive of National Highways, Nick Harris, said safety remains the priority: “We have developed a fix for this technical anomaly to maintain the highest levels of safety on these roads and ensure no one is wrongly prosecuted.”

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