Over 36,000 speeding penalties have been scrapped due to a fault discovered in 154 speed cameras. The issue, which affects 12 motorways across the UK, came to light last October and has since resulted in thousands of fines being thrown out.

Police have now refused to process more than 36,000 speeding tickets, cancelling the penalties altogether, according to The Times. The problem affects all Smart Motorways in the UK, including the M1, M6, M5, M25 and M42.

Last year, a "technical anomaly" was identified with 154 speed cameras operating on smart motorways, revealing a delay between the cameras registering speeds and the speed limits being updated. This meant drivers were receiving speeding fines after the limit had already changed, leaving them technically within the law.

Authorities confirmed the cameras are still activating on the motorways, yet police have lost faith in their accuracy and are no longer enforcing the penalties. National Highways, the government body responsible for England's major roads, acknowledged 2,650 instances of "erroneous camera activations" since 2021.

However, forces across the country were so alarmed that they cancelled more than 36,000 ongoing and historical speeding cases linked to the cameras.

The Times further reported that more than ten months after the nationwide fault was uncovered, the defective cameras remain under testing by the Home Office and have yet to receive approval for operational use. While awaiting approval, police forces are refraining from issuing any enforcement notices for speeding motorists caught by the defective cameras.

In January, shortly after the camera faults were uncovered, Nick Harris stepped down as chief executive of National Highways after five years at the helm, with sources indicating that he had lost the confidence of the board.

Major Motorways with Smart Sections

  • M1: Multiple upgraded stretches between Junction 6A and Junction 42 (including J prejudicial areas like J10-13, J16-19, and J28-31).
  • M3: Junction 2 to Junction 4A (Surrey and Hampshire).
  • M4: Junction 3 (Hayes) to Junction 12 (Theale) [0.10].
  • M5: Sections around Junction 4A to 6 and Junction 15 to 17 (Bristol region).
  • M6: Extensive segments running from Junction 2 up to Junction 19 (including the heavily monitored West Midlands and M6 J10A-13 corridor).
  • M20: Controlled and dynamic sections between Junction 3 and Junction 7.
  • M23: Junction 8 to Junction 10 (south of London toward Gatwick).
  • M25: Large continuous and controlled segments spanning from Junction 2 round to Junction 30 (notably J5-7 and J23-27).
  • M27: Junction 4 to Junction 11 (Hampshire).
  • M42: Junction 3A to Junction 9 (the original pilot region around the West Midlands).
  • M60: Junction 8 to Junction 18 (Greater Manchester ring road).
  • M62: Sections covering Junction 10 to Junction 12 and Junction 18 through to Junction 30 (Manchester to Leeds

The independent review commissioned by transport secretary Heidi Alexander into the agency's management of the matter is expected this summer but has yet to be released. Simon Williams, from the RAC, said: "It's very concerning that this has not been fixed and that so many speeding drivers are not facing the consequences. We urge the government to address this as a matter of priority."

A National Highways spokesperson said: "Speeding offences continue to be detected and prosecuted. A range of enforcement measures are in place to help keep road users safe. A fix for the impacted cameras is going through rigorous testing."

However in figures released today some drivers are still being fined - for using closed lanes. Smart motorway drivers have been hit with criminal convictions and more than 100,000 in fines, court costs and victim surcharges this year for ignoring red X lane closure signs, research has found.

Dozens of errant motorists are hauled before the magistrates courts of England and Wales every month after being caught driving in a motorway lane that has been temporarily shut down.

The red X signs can be triggered automatically or by National Highways, to close a lane when there has been a crash, a vehicle is stranded, or workers are in the carriageway.

Cameras dotted across the Smart motorway network catch the offenders, and many thousands are issued with 100 fixed penalty fines.

But Press Association research has shown that some drivers face a full criminal prosecution for breaking the lane-closure rules.

Since the start of this year, court records show 378 drivers have been convicted of ignoring the red X signs after being caught out by the automatic cameras, leading to fines totalling 48,409, costs of 33,255, and 20,183 in victim surcharges.

Most guilty motorists are also issued with three penalty points, some ending up with a driving ban if they already have points on their licences.

The RAC said it was concerning that drivers were continuing to flout the red X rules, which were first introduced with the advent of Smart motorways more than a decade ago.

The signs play an absolutely fundamental role in keeping people safe, said RAC road safety spokesman Rod Dennis.

This is especially the case on those where the hard shoulder has been removed permanently, as the safety of a driver who has broken down in a live lane will depend entirely on other people reacting to the red X by moving to another lane.

We implore drivers to take heed of these signs whenever and wherever they see them not doing so might very well be putting peoples lives in danger.

Last week, 12 motorists were convicted of ignoring the signs, in private court hearings dealt with under the fast-track single justice procedure.