Drivers given £4m Dartford Crossing fines in error

Drivers were faced with technical problems after Conduent took over managing payments for the Dartford Crossing in July 2023

Drivers were mistakenly handed Dartford Crossing fines totalling more than £4m in 12 months, an investigation has found.

National Highways cancelled 59,007 penalty charge notices (PCNs) in the year after it switched to a new provider to manage payments, Freedom of Information figures obtained by PA Media show.

The Dartford Crossing consists of a bridge and two tunnels, which connect Thurrock in Essex with Dartford in Kent.

National Highways said: "We understand that anything associated with finances can be stressful, and we apologise for the inconvenience that these customers have faced."

Private company Conduent was given a £150m contract by National Highways to manage crossing payments from July last year.

Since then, drivers have sometimes been fined or charged when a vehicle with a similar plate used the crossing, while others have been unable to make payments and manage accounts.

Dr Jenny Dunne from north London was charged 34 times in the space of seven months for journeys she did not make.

She said: "I thought my number plate had been cloned so I contacted the police. It turned out the cameras were faulty."

'Catch you out'

Sarah Rodwell-Dodsworth from Ipswich was fined twice for a journey because her payment card had been removed from the system after Conduent took over.

"I've never had a fine [for the Dartford Crossing] until this occasion... we were trying to be law-abiding citizens paying the toll as required.

"It almost feels like they want to catch you out," she said.

National Highways said it had "resolved" the issues.

In a statement it said: "There were technical issues with the transition to the new service providers, which resulted in an increased number of PCNs issued and an increase in cancelled PCNs.

"We regret that some customers have experienced issues when making payments and managing their accounts following the transition to the new Dart Charge service providers.

"In the minority of circumstances where PCNs are issued in error, the charge will be cancelled."

Conduent declined to comment.