In the past year, over £4 million in fines were mistakenly handed out to drivers using the Dartford Crossing, according to a recent investigation. National Highways had to cancel 59,007 penalty charge notices (PCNs) after switching to a new payment provider, Conduent, in July of last year. This was a huge spike compared to the previous year, which saw just 3,595 PCNs canceled.
Each PCN issued costs £70 (or £35 if paid within 14 days), so the total value of canceled fines reached a staggering £4.1 million. The Dartford Crossing, which includes a bridge and two tunnels connecting Essex and Kent, is one of the busiest routes in the area, with charges required between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
However, after Conduent took over, drivers reported being fined for crossings they didn’t make, often because the cameras misread their licence plates. In one case, Dr. Jenny Dunne, a 64-year-old driver from London, was charged 34 times for trips she never made, all due to a camera misreading her plate. She tried to get it resolved through countless phone calls but found the process incredibly frustrating.
Another driver, Sarah Rodwell-Dodsworth, got two fines in January when her payment card was unexpectedly removed from her account, despite her attempts to pay the toll. She wasn’t notified and only found out after receiving the fines.
National Highways admitted there were “technical issues” with the new system, leading to increased fines and cancellations. They’ve since worked to resolve the problems, bringing errors down to less than 1% of all PCNs, and issued an apology to affected drivers.
But for many, the experience has been both time-consuming and stressful, with some drivers feeling like they were set up to fail.
