Currently reading: Thousands wrongly fined for speeding due to speed camera fault

Issue has affected UK A-roads and motorways with variable speed limit enforcement since 2021

Thousands of UK drivers have been wrongly fined and given points of their licences for speeding due to a camera fault.

National Highways has confirmed that 2650 motorists have been incorrectly hit with speeding enforcement actions since 2021.

The issue, which occurred on A-roads and motorways with variable speed limits, was a “slight” delay between the speed limit being increased and the camera speed threshold being adjusted.

Read more: How do speed cameras work in the UK

As such, “some drivers were incorrectly detected as speeding after the limit had changed”, the government body has admitted. 

It has confirmed that it's now implementing a fix to address the so-called “anomaly” and noted that the number of people affected has been “the equivalent of fewer than two a day”. 

Apologising to those affected, National Highways confirmed in a statement that “they will be reimbursed and have points removed from their licence where relevant”, adding: “Steps will be taken to remedy any incorrect enforcement action, and anybody affected will be contacted directly.”

It also confirmed that it “has developed a data check to ensure nobody will now be prosecuted incorrectly and are liaising with police on its implementation”.

 

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Will Rimell

Will Rimell Autocar
Title: News editor

Will is Autocar's news editor.​ His focus is on setting Autocar's news agenda, interviewing top executives, reporting from car launches, and unearthing exclusives.

As part of his role, he also manages Autocar Business – the brand's B2B platform – and Haymarket's aftermarket publication CAT.

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Bob Cholmondeley 16 December 2025

Unlike Autocar here, the BBC pointed out that there were, "more than six million activations of speed cameras on the affected roads over the same period." So this error represents a tiny percentage.