Brighton council apologises after drivers wrongly fined on School Streets during half term

File image of children walking to school.

Brighton and Hove City Council has apologised after drivers were fined for going through School Streets zones during October half term, when the restrictions should not have applied. The council says the cameras were not switched off, all the affected penalty charge notices have been cancelled, and anyone who already paid will be reimbursed.

What happened

The camera enforcement covers three school streets: Queen's Park Primary, Hangleton Primary, and Hove Junior with West Hove Infants. School Streets are meant to apply only on school days, so drivers who went through during half term were not breaking any rule. Several people complained on social media after fines arrived.

The council has not said how many tickets were wrongly issued.

What the council says

Councillor Trevor Muten, the cabinet member for transport, said: "Due to an administrative error, some PCNs were issued incorrectly." The council says it has added extra checks so the restrictions are only applied when they should be.

If you were fined

• Check the date: a ticket for a half-term day was issued in error.
• Already paid: the council says you will be reimbursed.
• Not paid: the council says the notices are cancelled, so no payment is needed.

The scheme began as a pilot with warning letters for the first six months, before fines started. The council's own figures show 894 warning letters were sent in the week beginning 7 September and 693 the week after. Those are warnings, not the wrongly issued half-term fines.

More on School Streets

For which streets are covered, the hours and how the scheme works, see our guide: Brighton and Hove School Streets 2026.

Source: Brighton and Hove News, 6 November 2026, quoting the council.