Council makes £300,000 in driver fines in 17 days

A north-west London council raised more than £300,000 in 17 days from drivers who ignored or were unaware of restrictions during roadworks.

Wembley High Road in Brent was damaged by "leaky drainage systems" and pressure from vehicles using it, and was partly closed in January until the repair work was finished earlier this month.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to Brent Council revealed that 5,701 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued between 15 and 31 January due to violations of the restrictions.

The council said it was "surprised" by the number of drivers who failed to take notice of the no-entry signage and used a lane that was only open to buses and emergency vehicles.

Drivers were warned they faced a penalty of up to £130 for using the lane, reduced to £65 if paid within 14 days.

During the 17-day period in question, Brent Council generated £313,555 in revenue from PCNs, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

However, it is understood that not all of the PCNs that were issued would have been paid during the 17-day period the FOI related to, so the true figure may be higher.

A camera was in operation during the works with warning signs placed ahead of the restrictions, and where the restrictions were enforced, informing motorists of the no-entry status.

Krupa Sheth, cabinet member for environment and enforcement at Brent Council, said: "Taking into account our extensive communication on the Wembley High Road upgrades, we are surprised at the number of motorists who decided to ignore the no-entry signage.

"We wrote letters to residents, installed several warning signs, ran billboard advertising campaigns locally, and had social media posts that got over one million views."

Ms Sheth said the money raised through the PCNs had been ring-fenced for the funding of Freedom Passes, which provide free travel on almost all London public transport for eligible disabled residents and people aged 66 and over.

The works included digging up the full depth of the road's surface, building a new structure and resurfacing it, and repairing the existing drains.

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