The police have had to tear up 270 speeding tickets, after failing to adjust a speed camera following a change of speed limit -- upwards.
The A27 in front of Fareham College, Portsmouth, was a 30mph zone but the signs hadn't been changed to reflect a new 40mph limit. So the police snapped hundreds of motorists who appeared to be driving above the posted limit -- when in fact, they weren't.
About half of the drivers paid the fines and took the three-point penalty on the chin, while others refused and took the risk of legal proceedings. The mix-up only came to might after one woman, an emergency services driver who wanted to preserve her unblemished licence, appealed. Council officers then realised that he posted speed limit did not match that on the paperwork. They told the police in writing -- who insist that they never received the letter.
Finally, admitting the mistake, the police have refunded all fines and wiped all penalty points wrong attributed.