Almost 20,000 fines and penalty points are set to be cancelled due to an error with temporary speed restrictions during roadworks on the A1 Grantham-bypass.

The roadworks are linked to the Grantham Southern Relief Road, a massive project being built by Lincolnshire County Council.

The speed limit was imposed to improve road safety for contractors working on the £102M project.

The issue was revealed by The Lincolnite yesterday, before it made the national press today.

The Lincoln-based website revealed 19,089 offences between February 16, 2021 and July 10, 2021 will be removed from the records due to a fault with the speed camera system and temporary 50mph limit.

Lincolnshire Police said the £100 speeding fines (totalling almost £2 million) are in the process of being refunded, and/or penalty points cancelled.

Chief Superintendent Paul Timmins said: "We have been made aware by National Highways of a discrepancy relating to a temporary traffic order on the A1 which has meant that some enforcement was invalid regarding the temporary speed restriction.

"National Highways are the lead agency on this matter and are working through the details relating to the exact circumstances.

"We are working with National Highways and other partners to identify and directly contact motorists who might have been affected and will take action accordingly.

"This includes the possibility of refunding fines and/or cancelling penalty points that were awarded during the material time of 16th February and 10th July this year."

He added: "The situation has been rectified and the temporary speed limit is enforceable and so I would urge all drivers to be aware and drive within the speed limit for your safety and that of other road users and the construction workers."

National Highways Head of Service Delivery, Adrian Oulds said: "Safety is a top priority for National Highways. A temporary speed limit is in place on the carriageway to keep the A1 safe – for both drivers and the construction team – while work takes place.

"There was a discrepancy relating to the temporary traffic order, which means some of the enforcement was invalid and we are working with Lincolnshire Police to resolve this issue.

"However, we encourage all drivers to observe temporary speed limits through roadworks for their own safety."

Lincolnshire County Council's executive member for Highways, Coun Richard Davies, said: "Although the reduced A1 speed limit near Grantham is part of our on-going relief road works, Highways England is the party responsible for providing the legal order and the police are responsible for enforcement."

The Grantham-based county councillor continued: "The temporary 50mph speed limit remains in place here, and we encourage anyone driving the A1 near Grantham to help ensure the safety of other drivers and our workforce by sticking to it."

Last month, Nub News reported that the A1 by-pass is among the worst sections of road in the country for drivers receiving speeding fines.

It is also responsible for more than half the speeding fines issued in Lincolnshire, following inquiries made by Grantham county councillor Ray Wootten, as also reported by Nub News.