Drivers Hit With £4.1 Million in Fines — But It Was All a Mistake!
Motorists using the Dartford Crossing faced a shocking £4.1 million in wrongful fines due to a botched payment system switch. An investigation revealed 59,007 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were mistakenly slapped on drivers over the last year, causing chaos and fury among commuters.
New Payment Provider Blamed for Toll Chaos
The trouble started after National Highways handed a £150 million contract to private firm Conduent to manage Dartford Crossing payments. The crossing links Essex and Kent, handling over 55 million journeys annually.
Since Conduent took over in July last year, technical glitches have plagued the system. The automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras wrongly flagged vehicles with similar plates as toll dodgers. On top of this, drivers battled to update payment cards for automatic toll payments, adding to the confusion.
National Highways Apologise, Say Problems Now Mostly Fixed
A National Highways spokesperson admitted the switch caused a spike in both fines issued and later cancelled. “We regret that some customers have experienced issues when making payments and managing their accounts,” they said. “We understand that anything associated with finances can be stressful, and we apologise for the inconvenience.”
The authority claims most technical faults have been sorted, with mistaken PCNs now down to under 1% of the total.
How to Fight Your Dartford Fine
National Highways reassures drivers that any fines wrongly issued will be cancelled if reported. With around two million PCNs handed out yearly for non-payment, double-check your charges and don’t hesitate to complain if you’ve been caught up in the mess.
Meanwhile, Conduent has stayed silent on the blunder.
