Councils in England Can Now Fine Drivers £70 for Box Junctions and Banned Turns, and More Areas Are Joining Each Month

Drivers across England are increasingly at risk of receiving a £70 penalty charge notice for offences such as stopping in a yellow box junction, making a banned turn or entering a road marked with a no-entry sign, without any police officer being present. Under a power that local councils have been gradually taking up since 2022, civil enforcement of these offences is now operating in a growing number of areas and expanding further in 2026.

The change represents a significant shift in how moving traffic offences are policed outside London. Until the power was extended to English councils outside the capital, enforcement of box junctions, banned turns and restricted entries was a matter for the police. Now it is increasingly handled by cameras operated by local councils, with automated penalty notices sent to the registered keeper of any vehicle captured committing an offence.

Drivers who are unfamiliar with these changes, particularly those driving through areas where councils have recently activated their enforcement powers, may receive a penalty charge notice with no warning and no awareness that cameras were watching.

How the Powers Work

The Traffic Management Act 2004 created the legal basis for civil enforcement of moving traffic offences, but the government did not begin extending those powers to English councils outside London until 2022. From 31 May 2022, councils in England were able to apply to the Secretary of State for Transport for permission to begin civil enforcement in their area.

Once a council receives approval and installs the necessary camera infrastructure, it can begin issuing penalty charge notices to drivers caught committing specified offences. The key offences covered include stopping in a yellow box junction and blocking the flow of traffic, making a prohibited turn, performing a prohibited U-turn, failing to comply with a no-entry restriction, and, in some areas, driving in a bus lane.

Enforcement uses cameras, typically mounted above or beside the road, that capture video footage of the offence. The vehicle registration is matched to the DVLA keeper database, and a penalty charge notice is sent by post. The driver or registered keeper then has a set period to pay, appeal or contest the notice.

How Much Is the Fine?

The penalty charge notice issued for a moving traffic offence is £70 in most areas outside London. If the penalty is paid within 21 days, it reduces to £35. If it remains unpaid after 28 days, the charge rises to £105. Persistent non-payment can lead to debt recovery action, with additional bailiff fees adding considerably to the total cost.

The charge is issued to the registered keeper of the vehicle, not necessarily to the person who was driving at the time. If the registered keeper was not the driver, they can transfer the liability to the actual driver by providing the driver’s details to the council. Failing to respond at all is not an option that ends the matter: councils have the power to pursue unpaid notices through the courts and via debt enforcement.

Which Areas Are Now Enforcing?

The number of councils operating civil moving traffic enforcement has been growing steadily since the first approvals were granted in 2022. London has operated civil enforcement of moving traffic offences for much longer under separate legislation, with Transport for London and individual boroughs running extensive camera networks.

Outside London, Manchester City Council was among the early adopters and began enforcement at yellow box junction locations on 19 January 2026. Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council began its enforcement in June 2026. Buckinghamshire Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council are among others that have signalled their intention to begin or expand enforcement during 2026.

Hull City Council has been running a public consultation on moving traffic enforcement and is expected to proceed with implementation. Multiple other councils are in various stages of the application and preparation process. The trend is clearly towards greater adoption, and drivers should expect the list of enforcing areas to expand significantly over the next twelve to eighteen months.

The Traffic Penalty Tribunal, which handles appeals against civil moving traffic penalties, has confirmed that it is seeing an increasing caseload from the new English enforcing authorities outside London. The tribunal operates independently of councils and provides the formal route for contesting a penalty charge notice that a council declines to cancel.

Box Junctions: The Most Common Source of Penalties

Yellow box junctions are the most widely enforced offence category under the new civil powers. The rule is that drivers must not enter a box junction if their exit from it is not clear. The only exception is turning right, when a driver may wait in the box if they are prevented from completing the turn only by oncoming traffic or by vehicles turning right from the opposite direction.

In practice, many drivers find box junctions difficult to navigate safely, particularly at busy times when the flow of traffic makes it hard to judge whether the exit will be clear by the time they reach it. The RAC has raised concerns about the quality of some box junction markings across England, and estimates that a significant proportion of existing yellow box junctions have faded markings or dimensions that make fair enforcement questionable.

Drivers who receive a penalty charge notice for a box junction offence and believe they have grounds to contest it should not ignore the notice. The correct course is to pay within 21 days to secure the reduced rate, or to submit a formal representation to the council within 28 days if you believe the notice was issued in error.

Banned Turns and No-Entry Signs

Banned turns are another key category covered by the civil enforcement powers. These are junctions or road sections where signs indicate that certain turning movements are prohibited, typically to reduce cut-through traffic in residential areas or to manage flow on busy routes. Older drivers in particular may not have seen some of these restrictions introduced recently, particularly if they have changed since they last drove regularly through an area.

No-entry signs, which prohibit entry to a road from a particular direction, are enforced under the same powers. Driving the wrong way down a one-way street or entering a restricted access road are typical examples.

Sat-nav systems and mapping apps do not always reflect recent changes to road restrictions, and there have been cases of drivers following navigation directions into roads where turns were subsequently prohibited after the mapping data was last updated. This is not a recognised defence for the purposes of a civil penalty, though it may support an appeal in circumstances where the restriction was newly introduced and signage was inadequate.

How to Challenge a Penalty Notice

Every penalty charge notice issued under civil moving traffic enforcement includes a notice of appeal rights. The formal process begins with a representation to the issuing council, which must be submitted within 28 days of the notice date. The representation should explain the grounds on which you believe the penalty is invalid or unfair.

Grounds for a valid appeal include that you were not the driver of the vehicle at the time, that the restriction was not clearly signed, that there was a genuine emergency, that the camera evidence is unclear, or that there is an error on the notice itself.

If the council rejects the representation, the driver can then escalate to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, which is an independent body. The tribunal considers appeals on their merits and its decisions are binding on the council. If the tribunal finds in favour of the driver, the penalty is cancelled. If it finds against, the penalty must be paid.

Drivers who ignore the penalty and let it escalate to the debt recovery stage lose access to the reduced payment rate and the formal appeal process. Contesting a penalty once enforcement agents are involved is significantly more complicated and more expensive than dealing with it within the initial 28-day window.

Staying Alert to Local Changes

The expansion of civil moving traffic enforcement is happening at different times in different areas, and there is no national register that drivers can easily consult to find out whether a town or city they are visiting has recently begun enforcing. Councils are required to publicise their enforcement activity, but awareness among drivers remains patchy.

The most reliable way to stay informed is to check the websites of councils in areas you drive through regularly, particularly if you travel through town centres where box junctions are common. Council websites are required to list the locations of enforced restrictions, and some publish camera maps.

For regular commuters and delivery drivers, the financial exposure from civil moving traffic enforcement is potentially significant. An operator whose drivers are each issued with a handful of £70 penalties over the course of a month can quickly face a meaningful cost. Route planning that accounts for restrictions, combined with regular briefings to drivers about locally enforced areas, has become an important part of fleet management in the areas where enforcement is now active.

The direction of travel is clear: civil enforcement of moving traffic offences is expanding and is not going to contract. Drivers in England should treat every yellow box junction, banned turn sign and no-entry restriction as if a camera is watching. In a growing number of places, one is.