Thousands of drivers caught speeding since 2021 set for refunds
Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill told the House of Lords that National Highways has identified roughly 2,650 erroneous camera activations dating back to 2021.
10:32, 22 Jan 2026
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Thousands of drivers caught speeding since 2021 set for refunds(Image: )
2,600 drivers could be awarded compensation after faulty speed cameras incorrectly fined motorists along major routes.[1] Transport Minister Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill told the House of Lords that National Highways has identified roughly 2,650 erroneous camera activations dating back to 2021.
The problem affected a number of motorways and two A roads.
Lord Young of Cookham raised concerns about compensation for "those who had to take time off work to attend speed awareness courses".
Lord Young of Cookham[2] raised concerns about compensation for "those who had to take time off work to attend speed awareness courses".
Lord Burnett of Maldon, the crossbench peer and former lord chief justice, highlighted the financial burden facing those wrongly penalised, noting that "points doesn't mean prizes" but rather "increased insurance premiums".
"It can be extremely difficult for any of us to understand precisely why an insurance premium from one year to another has increased," Lord Burnett said.
Lord Hendy acknowledged that the Government must act as "a good custodian of public money".
Lord Hendy confirmed the review would scrutinise "the time it took between first knowledge and public action".
The minister acknowledged the review was "a serious activity" designed to ensure such failures cannot happen again.
Lord Clarke of Nottingham asked whether some highway authorities might be "tempted to use variable speed limits plainly as a way of raising revenue by way of fines".
The RAC added: "The only way to be 100% sure if you've been caught speeding is to wait for a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) to arrive in the post."
"If you're caught breaking the speed limit, the image recorded by the camera will scan your car's number plate to get the registered address from the DVLA," the AA explains.
Most of the motorists affected by the incorrect camera activations attended speed awareness courses.
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