FOI release

Penalty charge notices

This request was refused in part, so we didn't provide some of the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference FOI2024/01862

Received 30 December 2024

Published 10 February 2025

Request

For each of the calendar years 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020

1. How many penalty charge notices were issued for non compliance of a chargeable journey at the crossing?

1a. How many are still outstanding and haven't been paid?

1b. What's the value of the amount that remains unpaid?

2. How many penalty charge notices were cancelled where it was suspected that a cloned vehicle was used for the chargeable journey?

3. How many penalty charge notices were cancelled where the ANPR cameras had initially mis-read the number plate for the chargeable journey?

Response

1. The number of penalty charge notices (PCNs) that have been issued are provided below. These figures include PCNs that have been reissued, for example if a customer advises they did not receive the original PCN:

2024 – 3,383,915

2023 – 1,858,852

2022 – 2,376,292

2021 – 1,910,465

2020 – 1,822,098

2. Upon receipt of sufficient evidence from the customer, the number of PCNs that were cancelled due to the vehicle registration allegedly being cloned are below:

2024 – 7,780

2023 – 4,519

2022 – 3,809

2021 – 4,348

2020 – 4,753

3. The number of PCNs that were cancelled due to a mis-read of the vehicle registration are below:

2024 – 25,556

2023 – 3,185

2022 – 2,150

2021 – 1,607

2020 – 906

Information withheld

1a and 1b. I can confirm that whilst we do hold the information for questions 1a and 1b, under section 36(2)(C) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we are not required to provide this information due to it being prejudicial to the effective conduct of public affairs.

We believe therefore that the exemption in section 36(2)(c) is engaged as we believe that releasing the information requested could otherwise prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs by adversely affecting the ability of National Highways to collect the Dartford Crossing road user charge and pass these charges due to the Department for Transport.

Before applying the exemption in section 36(2) (c) of the FOI Act, National Highways sought the opinion of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Transport Baroness Vere as a ‘qualified person’. Baroness Vere confirmed that, in her reasonable opinion, the disclosure of the total sterling amount owed by drivers of overseas registered vehicles could prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs; and that Section 36(2) (c) of the FOI Act was therefore engaged.

We are also of the view that the exemption in section 31(1) (d) is engaged as releasing this information could prejudice our ability to collect the road user charge and encourage drivers of non-UK vehicles to purposely avoid payment of the charge.

Advice and Assistance

Following the transition to the new service provider, we significantly extended the suspense periods of accounts to allow for account holders to re-validate payment cards, and for the service to overcome some initial technical difficulties. That extension period meant that PCNs were not flowing as normal during the latter part of 2023 and were held to allow users more time to pay. Eventually, removing the extension period allowed PCNs to flow, however, they were now issued some months after the initial crossing was made resulting in more PCNs than normal being issued in early 2024.

PCNs are now being issued within 2 weeks of the crossing.

Any concerns that are raised by a customer will be fully investigated and if it is established that the PCN was issued in error the PCN will be immediately cancelled, and the customer will not be charged.

As the issues we experienced immediately following the upgrade have been resolved the number of PCNs that have been cancelled due to a mis read of vehicle registration have continued to reduce month on month.

Documents

There are no documents for this release.

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