Dartford Crossing Drivers Erroneously Fined Over £4 Million

An inquiry has revealed that motorists received erroneous penalties for the Dartford Crossing, amounting to over £4 million within a year. According to Freedom of Information data acquired by PA Media, National Highways revoked 59,007 penalty charge notices (PCNs) during the year following its transition to a different payment management provider. The Dartford Crossing, comprising a bridge and two tunnels, links Thurrock in Essex with Dartford in Kent. National Highways issued a statement, saying: “We understand that anything associated with finances can be stressful, and we apologise for the inconvenience that these customers have faced.” Conduent, a private firm, secured a £150 million contract from National Highways to oversee crossing payments starting in July of the previous year. Subsequently, some drivers have incurred fines or charges due to vehicles with comparable license plates utilizing the crossing, while others have encountered difficulties with making payments and managing their accounts. Dr. Jenny Dunne, residing in north London, received 34 charges over a period of seven months for trips she did not undertake. She commented: “I thought my number plate had been cloned so I contacted the police. It turned out the cameras were faulty.” Sarah Rodwell-Dodsworth of Ipswich received two fines for a single journey because her payment card was no longer registered in the system after Conduent assumed management. She stated: “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.” She added, “It almost feels like they want to catch you out.” National Highways indicated that it had “resolved” the problems. In an official statement, it declared: “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.” The statement continued: “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 chose not to provide a comment. For updates on Essex news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.