Drivers hit with Dartford Crossing fines despite never using it amid number plate camera issues

Cars, motorhomes and minibuses need to pay £2.50 to use the Crossing with prices rising to as much as £6 for larger vehicles.

Fines can reach as much as £70 if someone does not pay the Dart Charge, which will be increased to £105 if they do not pay it or reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.

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However, several drivers have come forward to question the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras after they were slapped with fines despite living hundreds of miles away.

Anne Marie Kenyon, a deputy headteacher from Bury in Greater Manchester has been issued two fines in the post this year - one in April and one in June.

She told the BBC that she had never used the crossing and that the ANPR cameras were to blame since the photos on the penalty charge notice were "blurry".

Kenyon's number plate starts with DV, while the number plates included in the fine started with DY in the first fine and OV in the second.

She noted how the first fine was easy to deal with since it was during the Easter holidays and the helplines were not as busy, but she was "frustrated" with the "poor" way she was treated the second time.

Both fines were eventually cancelled, but Kenyon now fears that the same thing will happen again and that the ANPR cameras may mistakenly capture her plate again.

A spokesperson for National Highways told the BBC: “In a minority of circumstances penalty charges are issued in error.

"Where this happens, the charge will be cancelled as soon as a customer contacts us to let us know they are not the registered keeper of the vehicle."

More drivers have come forward in recent months to highlight the issue of mistaken identity for the Dartford Crossing, especially with IT problems arising this year.

National Highways switched IT providers in 2023, prompting the need for motorists to revalidate their card details to the new system. An estimated one million account holders are yet to update their details.

Another motorist, Eleanor Vousden, has been hit with Dartford Crossing issues. She received a fine earlier this year saying she had used the Dartford Crossing on Christmas Eve, which she knew had not happened.

In this instance, the vehicle was a silver Honda Jazz, while Vousden drives a silver Honda CRG. The number plates were also very similar, with her plate ending in G, while the other car ends in a C.

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While her experience with dealing with the fine was very positive, she wondered how many mistakes take place and how many drivers pay the fine because they cannot remember where they were.

A third driver, Mike Adams from Rochester, said his company was hit with a fine after the Dart Charge system did not recognise the licence plate on his rental vehicle.

The hire firm later told the motorist that this can happen with new vehicles as they may not have been registered with the ANPR systems.