"This is not about catching people out": New council traffic enforcement camera in Northampton which could land you a £70 fine set to go live this weekend
A new council traffic enforcement camera in Northampton that could land you a £70 fine set to go live this weekend.
Enforcement is set to begin at Upton Valley Way East, at its junction with Banbury Lane, on Sunday (November 1), according to the Reform-led West Northants Council (WNC).
The Upton Valley Way camera will enforce the banned right turn at its junction with Banbury Lane.
The camera at Weedon Road – at the junction with Spencer Bridge Road – is expected to follow once final testing has been completed, according to the council.
The Weedon Road camera will enforce the yellow box junction at Spencer Bridge Road.
A WNC spokesman said: “The cameras form part of the council’s expansion of moving traffic enforcement, aimed at improving road safety, reducing congestion and helping traffic move more freely.
“Previous enforcement has seen more than 80 per cent of motorists who received a penalty charge notice avoid committing a further offence.
"Introduction of the news sites follows detailed assessment work and a public consultation, with input from emergency services, bus operators and road safety teams.”
The council says will take the same approach used at some earlier enforcement sites. For the first six months, anyone committing a first offence will receive a warning rather than a fine, giving motorists time to become familiar with the restrictions.
Moving traffic penalties are £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.
Reform councillor Richard Butler, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “The aim here is simple, we want our roads to be safer, and we want traffic to keep moving.
“Restrictions like banned turns and yellow boxes are there for a reason. When drivers ignore them, they can cause unnecessary congestion and delays and create risks for other road users.
“We’ve already seen that enforcement can change behaviour, with most drivers who receive a penalty not going on to offend again. That’s what we want to see from these new locations too.
“This is not about catching people out. It’s about encouraging people to follow the rules, reducing disruption and helping everyone get where they need to be.”
The other locations being commissioned are:
Banned turns
Collingwood Road, junction with St Matthew’s Parade
Yellow box junctions
St Peter’s Way, junction with Weston Wharf
Cliftonville Road, at the entrance to the hospital
Harborough Road, at the Cock Hotel junction and the junction with the A5095
Mere Way, opposite the fire station and at the Wootton Hall Park junction
No entry/one-way streets
St Giles’ Square, between Wood Hill and Derngate
The other eight sites will become operational as the necessary infrastructure, testing and approvals are completed, according to WNC.
Enforcement uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, with every recorded contravention reviewed by a trained officer before a decision is made on whether to issue a penalty charge notice.
Figures published in February by this newspaper showed cameras at six Northampton locations generated more than £830,000 in fines during 2025.
Almost £378,000 came from the yellow hatched box on St John’s Street, outside the council’s One Angel Square offices.
Between February 2024 and June 2026, the existing system issued 31,700 PCNs to 28,000 individual vehicles.