SPEED cameras across the UK have been switched off with thousands of speeding tickets scrapped following a fault.
A fix is now being rolled out by National Highways to address the “anomaly” which has wrongly fined thousands of drivers in the UK.
Variable speed limit cameras on Britain’s smart motorways and some A-roads have been compromised by the fault for four years, according to a MailOnline exclusive.
A software glitch meant the cameras weren’t interacting correctly with signs on the road.
It caused a delay between a new speed limit being displayed and the detection of that change by the camera leading to thousands of motorists being caught out.
National Highways said it has identified around 2,650 drivers who have been wrongly detected as speeding since 2021.
But the problem has reportedly led to the cancellation of over 36,000 speeding fines in addition to court cases and speed awareness courses.
The fault was only detected after a slew of similar court cases this year where drivers were able to prove they were within the legal limit at the time.
Remarkably, the time-lag was eventually linked back to a National Highways software update in January 2021.
Over 150 HADECS 3 cameras are said to be affected – the small, grey units are found on gantry poles on UK smart motorways.
They are also found on some A-roads throughout the country.
But the fault meant they did not adjust to speed limit variations with drivers not given the grace period following a speed limit change.
According to MailOnline, ministers were locked in talks over the weekend to find a solution as the cameras were secretly switched off across the country.
While a compensation scheme has been set up for any motorist affected which could come at a hefty price for the Government.
And National Highways said they were working with police to implement a “data check” to ensure drivers do not continue to be unfairly fined.
A spokesperson for the agency said they apologise “to anyone affected”.
“They will be reimbursed and have points removed from their licence where relevant,” they said.
“Steps will be taken to remedy any incorrect enforcement action, and anybody affected will be contacted directly.
“National Highways has developed a data check to ensure nobody will now be prosecuted incorrectly and are liaising with police on its implementation.”
They added the glitch impacts “just 10%” of the Strategic Road Network which is made up of motorways and A-roads in England.
While they said only a “very small number of people” have incorrectly faced enforcement action for speeding, pointing out there have been more than 6 million caught by cameras within this period.
National Highways Chief Executive, Nick Harris, said: “Safety is our number one priority and we have developed a fix for this technical anomaly to maintain the highest levels of safety on these roads and make sure no one is wrongly prosecuted.
“All drivers should continue observing the posted speed limits as normal.
“Anyone who has been impacted will be contacted by the relevant police force.”
