I was slapped with fines from one of UK’s priciest toll roads despite NEVER using it – I live hundreds of miles away

A NUMBER of drivers claim they have been slapped with fines from one of the UK's priciest toll roads despite never using it.

The Dartford Crossing is among the busiest routes in the country, used by an estimated 50 million vehicles a year.

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The road bridges the Thames, connecting Kent and Essex and allowing vehicles from both counties to access London.

It's also a major money spinner for the Government as the route, managed by National Highways, is the third most expensive toll in the UK.

Motorists pay £2.50 pop to cross, behind only the £2.60 Tamar Bridge and £8.90 on the M6 Toll.

The payment, known as the Dart Charge, is operated under a "free flow" system designed to keep the traffic moving and reduce congestion.

Instead of paying at a physical toll both, drivers set up pre-paid online accounts to cover the cost, with the crossing point monitored by number-plate recognising ANPR cameras.

When the cameras pick out a number plate, the account associated with the vehicle is charged.

If the account contains insufficient funds or none is found, the plate is recorded and a penalty charge is issued.

However, several Brits have now claimed that issues with the ANPR tech have led to them being wrongly issued fines for journeys they never made.

Anne Marie Kenyon, from Bury, Greater Manchester, says she was handed a pair of charges earlier this year despite "living hundreds of miles away" from the route.

She claimed that she has never used the crossing at all but suspects it came down to an issue with the cameras based on the evidence photos provided with the fines.

Ms Kenyon, whose registration begins with DV, told BBC News that each picture was "quite blurred and hard to read" but the plates were, she claims, just legible enough to see that they began with DY in the first case and OV in the second.

Likewise, Mike Adams from Rochester, Kent, alleged that he tried to pay the Dart Charge on a rental car but was informed that the system couldn't recognise its registration.

By the time he was able to contact Dart Charge, he was apparently told that it was too late to pay up and that he would be issued a penalty.

Mr Adams also claimed that the hire firm told him that this was a common occurrence for their new vehicles.

A spokesperson for National Highways said: “In some cases, manual checks are needed to make sure crossing details are accurate. This can delay those crossings being visible on the website.

"However, customers can still pay for these crossings at any time up to midnight the following day, whether the crossing is visible online or not.

“The easiest option for customers is to pay every time and on time.

"We’ve made this easy by offering different ways to pay which suit everyone’s needs.

"We want to make paying as stress-free as possible and limit any additional admin for our customers.

“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."