Thousands of drivers could see their speeding convictions wiped due to a long-running fault with variable speed cameras.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has ordered an independent review into the errors, which "resulted in a number of people incorrectly facing enforcement action for speeding". It comes just weeks after it was reported thousands of speeding cases have already been binned after the problem ws discovered in variable speed limit camera systems on smart motorways and some A-roads.
Hugh Bladon, senior spokesman for the Association of British Drivers, said: “We have heard stories of people who have been unfairly punished and that is justice gone wrong. The cost to the government is going to be substantial.
"And it’s going to be a monumental headache for the government trying to sort this out. When you consider somebody could lose their licence and maybe their job as a result of one of these faulty speed cameras, the implications are incredible."
As well as compensation for the cost of the tickets, drivers incorrectly caught speeding may be able to claim money back if they can prove they suffered other losses such as higher insurance premiums. Mr Bladon added: “God knows how the government is going to sort this compensation.
"If you are someone who has lost your job as a result of unfairly losing your driving licence, how do you recompense that? It’s an awful lot of people who have been unfairly punished for doing something entirely innocent."
It is thought 154 cameras were affected by the fault over four years from 2021. But government owned National Highways have now been told to search back as far as 2019, when camera upgrade work first started, to make sure everyone affected is identified.
The fault has been described as being caused by a timing problem between overhead electronic gantry signs showing a changed speed limit and the cameras registering the change. It is understood the cameras sometimes lagged around 10 seconds behind the gantry signs, meaning a driver could be doing the speed shown but still get caught as if the older, lower limit was still in force.
The problem came to light after drivers used dashcam footage to prove they were adhering to the speed limit the gantry told them. At one stage, the issue was considered so serious police even switched some cameras off because they could not be trusted. And tens of thousands of speed awareness courses were cancelled by police forces because of the issue.
The review will be led by Department for Transport board member Tracey Westell, who has been asked to determine how the fault happened, why it was not spotted sooner and how similar problems can be avoided in future.
Experts have warned the scandal could cost taxpayers millions of pounds in compensation. Leading criminal and regulatory lawyer Philip Somarakis, said: "We welcome the independent review.
"I'm sure there will be many motorists left feeling extremely frustrated that the issues with variable speed limit enforcement potentially go back even longer than it originally appeared. "Moreover, I note the review will specifically consider the circumstances through which technical and operational issues, including, but not limited to, the technical anomaly, are identified and how and when they are escalated within National Highways to the executive and board. This is not an isolated incident involving the enforcement of variable speed limits and it begs the question whether the review will identify other failings."
A Department for Transport spokesman said: "The travelling public must have confidence that technology on our roads works as intended. An independent review will examine how the anomaly occurred, how it was handled, and what changes are needed to ensure this cannot happen again."
Last month, the DfT confirmed that affected drivers would be "contacted directly by the relevant police force," ensuring "reimbursement" and the "removal of points from their licence where relevant".
