How New Traffic Cameras in Lancashire Are Catching Drivers Making Banned Turns

Drivers making banned turns or ignoring no-entry restrictions at four locations across Preston, Lancaster and Accrington are now being caught by automatic number plate recognition cameras. Lancashire County Council activated enforcement technology that had been waiting to go live for nearly a year, following delays attributed to procurement complications and a decision to avoid disrupting drivers during the festive season. Any driver caught breaking the rules at the covered sites faces a £70 penalty charge notice, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days. A grace period with warnings rather than fines applied initially, but the cameras are now issuing charges in full.

The Four Locations Now Under Camera Enforcement

The activation covers four specific junctions, each of which had recorded persistent violations before cameras were installed. Knowing where these are and what restriction each involves is essential for any driver who uses these roads regularly.

On Charnley Street in Preston, the camera enforces a no-entry restriction heading towards Corporation Street, close to Fishergate car park. This is a route some drivers were using as a shortcut, ignoring the no-entry sign at the junction.

At the Ringway and Bow Lane traffic lights in Preston, two restrictions are enforced: a no right turn into Marsh Lane heading westbound and a prohibition on U-turns in both directions. These are busy junctions where illegal manoeuvres have created congestion and safety concerns.

In Lancaster, the camera covers the junction of Morecambe Road and the Aldi access road, where a no right turn out of the retail car park onto the main road has been regularly ignored. The restriction exists because right-turning vehicles create dangerous conflict points with through traffic on Morecambe Road.

In Accrington, the camera monitors the junction of Hyndburn Road and the fast-food restaurant access leading to Viaduct Retail Park, targeting drivers who make an illegal right turn from the main road into the retail access. This restriction manages traffic flow at a busy commercial junction and prevents conflict between turning vehicles and through traffic.

Why It Took So Long for the Cameras to Start Issuing Fines

Lancashire County Council was granted the legal power to use ANPR cameras for moving traffic enforcement almost three years ago, following government changes that extended civil enforcement powers to local authorities outside London. Until then, banned turn violations and no-entry offences could only be dealt with by the police, who had limited capacity to devote to relatively minor road traffic contraventions.

Despite having the authority and with cameras physically installed at the four sites, Lancashire delayed activation on multiple occasions. The primary reasons given were delays in the procurement process and the need to ensure the technology would deliver value for money. A decision was also taken to avoid beginning enforcement during the festive period.

Lancashire County Council is now led by Reform UK following the 2025 local elections. A council spokesman stated that the cameras “play an important role in improving safety and traffic flow for all road users, particularly at locations where concerns have been raised by residents.” Revenue generated through fines will be reinvested into improving roads across the county.

An initial grace period was built into the rollout, during which drivers caught by the cameras received warning notices rather than financial penalties. That period has now ended and the cameras are issuing penalty charge notices to drivers who break the restrictions.

How ANPR Moving Traffic Enforcement Works

Automatic number plate recognition cameras at banned turn and no-entry locations operate on a clear principle. The camera captures an image of every vehicle that passes the junction, records the time, and reads the number plate. When a vehicle is detected making a prohibited manoeuvre, the system flags the event, and a trained enforcement officer reviews the footage to confirm the contravention before a notice is issued.

The human review stage is an important safeguard. Unlike a fully automated system that issues fines without oversight, the ANPR process at these locations requires an officer to look at the evidence and confirm the driver made the prohibited turn or entered the restricted road. Genuine errors, such as a camera misreading a plate, are caught before a notice is posted.

The penalty charge notice is sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle, not necessarily the driver at the time. If you are the keeper but were not driving, you can challenge the notice and provide the details of the driver who was responsible. This transfers liability to the correct person, though it does not automatically cancel the notice.

What Happens If You Appeal

If you believe a penalty charge notice was issued incorrectly, you have the right to make a formal challenge. The first step is an informal representation to Lancashire County Council within 14 days of the notice date. Grounds for challenge include unclear or missing restriction signs, a genuine emergency that required making the prohibited turn, or evidence that the restriction was not legally in place at the time.

A key point to check is whether the junction is properly signed. Moving traffic restrictions enforced by ANPR must be supported by adequate signage at the relevant point. If signs are missing, obscured, or inconsistent with the enforcement zone, that is a strong basis for an appeal. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal has quashed enforcement notices in other areas precisely where cameras were activated without adequate supporting signage.

If the informal challenge is rejected, the council issues a Notice to Owner, at which point you can escalate to the independent Traffic Penalty Tribunal. This body is entirely separate from the council, considers the case on its merits, and does not require you to attend a hearing in person.

How This Fits Into a Wider National Picture

Lancashire is part of a broader national shift. The extension of civil moving traffic enforcement powers from London to the rest of England has prompted a wave of ANPR camera activations at problem junctions across the country. Manchester City Council began ANPR enforcement of banned turns and yellow box junctions on 19 January 2026. Oxford is using cameras to monitor six low traffic neighbourhood closure points. Gloucestershire is in active consultation on placing cameras at 16 locations. The pattern is consistent: powers granted, hardware installed, public warned, enforcement activated.

Lancashire County Council retains the power to add further ANPR enforcement locations beyond the current four without requiring fresh central government approval. The council can designate additional junctions including box junctions and roads where motor vehicles are entirely prohibited. The current four sites are a starting point, not a ceiling.

For drivers in Preston, Lancaster and Accrington, the practical message is straightforward. Four junctions that many people previously used for banned manoeuvres without consequence are now monitored continuously. The route that saved two minutes by cutting through a no-entry near Fishergate, or the right turn out of the Aldi car park in Lancaster that was technically illegal but rarely challenged, now carries a £70 cost every time.

Checking whether your regular routes pass through any of the four enforcement points and adjusting your approach to those junctions is the most practical way to avoid a penalty charge notice arriving in the post. The restrictions have not changed; only the certainty of their enforcement has.

Sources:

• Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire: New Lancashire traffic cameras to target banned turns
• Traffic Penalty Tribunal
• Traffic Management Act 2004, moving traffic enforcement powers