National Highways Cancelled Over 59,000 Mistaken Fines for Dartford Crossing

In the year following the transition to a new payment processor, Conduent, for the Dartford Crossing in southeast England, National Highways saw a dramatic increase in the number of penalty charge notices issued. A total of 59,007 notices were cancelled, compared to only 3,595 from the previous year. This significant rise was attributed to technical glitches that misidentified vehicles with similar number plates. Some drivers, like Dr. Jenny Dunne, faced multiple fines for crossings they did not make. Drivers reported difficulty managing their Dart Charge accounts, including problems making payments. Affected individuals expressed frustration at being penalized despite making efforts to comply with payment requirements. Sarah Rodwell-Dodsworth was fined twice in January due to a removed payment card, a situation she had never encountered before. National Highways acknowledged the issues stemming from the transition period and stated that they have addressed the problems that arose. They apologized for the complications faced by customers, emphasizing that the technical issues led to both an increase in issued fines and a corresponding jump in their cancellations. As National Highways works to rectify these concerns and improve the system, many drivers remain wary about the reliability of the Dart Charge service and express their hope that such errors will not recur in the future.