Swathe of speeding penalties from Lincolnshire road overturned after ‘administrative error’ made them invalid

Police conducting speed tests. Library image.

A swathe of speeding penalties relating to a road in Lincolnshire have been overturned after it was found there were no grounds to give them.

Taken together, they represent thousands of pounds in fines and more than a hundred penalty points, plus some driving bans.

The road in question is the B1191 between Woodhall Spa and Martin.

During the time the tickets were issued, a reduced speed limit of 40mph was meant to be in place. However, the temporary speed restriction order (TRSO) behind the change had expired.

As a result, on one day, Lincoln Magistrates’ Court overturned 20 penalties relating to the B1191 dating from between April 25, 2020, to June 13, 2020.

They involved motorists from across Lincolnshire and beyond and speeds of between from 68mph to 80mph.

As a whole, they had received more than £7,000 in fines, varying for £120 to £1,000. Eighteen received six penalty points and two were disqualified from driving for a period.

A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police said: “A number of speeding offences were recorded and enforced during April and June, 2020, on the B1191 between Martin and Woodhall.

“At the time signs were present, on the road, showing a reduced speed limit of 40 mph. When a speed limit on a road is reduced, this will be subject to a TRSO. Our subsequent inquiries found the TRSO had expired in February 2019, but the 40mph signs had been left in place. As a result we have withdrawn a number of speeding offences which, due to the expired TRSO, are no longer valid.

“This is an unusual situation and we have taken action as soon as we became aware of the issues.”

The spokesman said that, in all, eight fixed penalty notices were issued as well as 26 summons.

The 26 summons have all been re-opened and withdrawn in court, they added, and all the fixed penalty notices have been reversed and that HM Courts and Tribunals Service are aware to carry out refunds and get points removed.

Karen Cassar, assistant director for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “In this case, we made an administrative error when we put in a temporary safety speed limit on the B1191, rendering it unenforceable for a time. We hold our hands up to that, and we’re sorry to any drivers incorrectly handed speeding tickets during that time. Since this incident two and a half years ago, we’ve made changes to the way we alter speed limits to ensure that they are correctly applied and there’s no confusion for motorists.”