Warning to Liverpool drivers as new cameras issue instant fines - where they are, what you could be fined for

Liverpool drivers could be handed £70 fines at major locations across the city as a six-month warning period has come to an end.

Last year, Liverpool City Council was granted new powers by the Department for Transport (DfT) to penalise poor driving habits which previously could only be enforced by the police, under criminal law.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, installed in November, caught more than 1,400 motorists flouting the rules on Lime Street and Ranelagh Place in the first day alone, and a second tranche of cameras went live across the city in January of this year.

Until now, first-time offenders received a written warning notice rather than a £70 fine, in line with DfT guidelines. However, the six-month grace period has now ended, meaning all motorists caught breaking the rules - such as driving in dedicated bus lanes - will receive an immediate fine, even for first offences.

The warning notice period ended at the start of this week for the majority of locations, with Liverpool City Council issuing approximately 40,000 warnings and close to 3,000 fines to repeat offenders during that time.

Examples of the type of traffic offences that can be enforced under the new powers include:

• Entering a yellow box junction when the exit is not clear
• Driving through a ‘No Entry’ sign
• Driving in a route permitted for buses and taxis only
• Driving through a school street, pedestrian and cycle zone
• Banned turns

Where are the new traffic camera’s located?

The ANPR cameras are situated at: Lime Street from London Road, Lime Street bus link (between Skelhorne Street and St George’s Place), Copperas Hill at Ranelagh Place, Ranelagh Street at Brownlow Hill, Whitechapel Cross/Hall Street junction, The Strand at New Quay/Chapel Street (southbound) and St Anne Street (opposite the Fire Station). A new camera has also gone live this month on The Strand at George’s Dock Gates/St Nicholas Place with the six-month warning notice period to end in February 2025. The existing bus gate on Ranelagh Street also benefits from ANPR cameras.

Two ‘school streets’ (for Greenbank Primary School and Much Woolton Primary School) also have APNR cameras, at Arlington Avenue from Greenbank Road and Arlington Avenue from Nicander Road; Watergate Lane from Woodrock Road and Watergate Way from Priorsfield Road. These ANPR cameras are only operation during school term times.