Tyne Tunnel unpaid toll fines sent to wrong address for a year

Motorists now pay for trips through the tunnel online or by phone

A motorist is facing a fine of over £2,200 after multiple letters regarding an unpaid road toll were sent to the wrong address for more than a year.

Amy Wood, from Newcastle, made journeys through the Tyne Tunnel in February 2022 without realising automatic top-ups on her payment account had failed.

She said she was "beyond stressed" about the fine and did not know how many more demands were in the system.

Tunnel operator TT2 urged drivers in similar circumstances to appeal.

"Ms Wood's case has now been handed back to TT2 and we are happy to have a look at the case, once we receive appropriate proof of address at the time of travel."

The BBC has seen an email from TT2 to Ms Wood in which it accepts their correspondence address was wrong, but said the matter was now being dealt with by CDER.

'Insane fine'

"I'm already having to cut unnecessary expenses to ensure I'm able to pay my regular outgoings, never mind this insane fine," Ms Wood said.

"I'm a single mother, and the threat of bailiffs coming to take things from our home over what started as £20-worth of unpaid tolls is terrifying and seems very unfair."

Ms Wood, 33, received an email from TT2 in March 2022 saying there had been insufficient funds in her account to pay for a journey.

She paid for this trip by card, and topped up her account, but was not told there were 12 other unpaid tolls still outstanding from February, she said.

The old toll payment booths were removed in 2021

In July this year, Ms Wood received a demand for £2,299 from debt collection agents CDER relating to an unpaid toll on 18 February 2022.

It became clear the company had been sending letters since April 2022, directed to the wrong address, with the fine increasing the longer it remained unpaid.

Instead of using the correct address TT2 held for Ms Wood on its payment system, both TT2 and CDER had used an address sourced from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which had a digit missing from Ms Wood's house number.

In December, Ms Wood realised the DVLA had the wrong address when she tried to tax her car, and had it corrected.

More than six months later, CDER started using this address to contact her.

Ms Wood said she would have paid the initial £30 unpaid toll charge notice (UTCN) had she received notification there was one.

"It is clear that this was not intentional or malicious, otherwise I wouldn't have an account and wouldn't have paid regularly every other time I have travelled," she said.

'Not internal procedure'

Ms Wood submitted a subject access request - an official way for a person to find out what data an organisation holds about them - which confirmed CDER sent 22 payment demands to the wrong house.

The company corrected this in July, but would not accept Ms Wood did not live at the address without proof.

Her driving licence and dated bank statements were not acceptable because they are "not part of our internal procedure", it told her.

CDER wanted either a tenancy agreement or council tax bill, neither of which Ms Wood has in her name because she lives with her mother.

The company has not responded to a request for comment.