West Northamptonshire Council is set to spend nearly half-a-million pounds introducing 10 new traffic enforcement sites in Northampton, with annual operating costs estimated at almost £150,000.

The plans were announced in September and include cameras to catch drivers making banned turns, entering yellow box junctions and breaking other moving traffic restrictions.

The 10 sites are Upton Valley Way East at Banbury Lane, Collingwood Road at St Matthew’s Parade, Abington Square near the Charles Bradlaugh statue, St Peter’s Way at Weston Wharf, Cliftonville Road at the hospital entrance, two junctions on Harborough Road, Weedon Road at Spencer Bridge Road, and two locations on Mere Way. The scheme also includes a no-entry restriction at St Giles’ Square, between Wood Hill and Derngate.

The council has already spent £30,000 on the scheme, according to figures released in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by Chronicle & Echo.

Ten new traffic enforcement locations are being introduced by WNC in Northampton - and it's costing nearly £500k to implement, with a yearly running costs of £150k

placeholder image — Ten new traffic enforcement locations are being introduced by WNC in Northampton - and it's costing nearly £500k to implement, with a yearly running costs of £150k

A further £402,000 is estimated to be needed to complete the work, taking the total implementation cost to £432,000.

The remaining work includes yellow box markings and signage, camera equipment, and the installation of columns and connectivity, according to WNC.

The council estimates annual operating costs for the cameras will be £150,000.

It has still not confirmed when the new cameras will be switched on.

The Reform-led council approved the plans in September, following a consultation which received 419 responses. The council says enforcement is intended to improve road safety, traffic flow, congestion and air quality.

The Upton Valley Way East camera was installed in April, while a camera on Weedon Road was also installed before the scheme was formally approved.

The new scheme would add to an existing enforcement system introduced in 2024, which has already generated hundreds of thousands of pounds in fines.

Figures published in February 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.

Moving traffic penalties are £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.

Of the vehicles caught by the existing system, 26,000 received only one PCN, while 2,400 were repeat offenders. The council says this indicates enforcement is changing driver behaviour.

The new sites will initially be funded through the Consolidated Local Transport Fund, with the council expecting enforcement revenue to make the scheme self-funding in the longer term.

For the first six months of the new scheme, drivers committing a first offence will receive a warning notice rather than a PCN, the council said.

The scheme has been criticised by the Yellow Box Guru, who has opposed the proposals since they were announced.

In a video criticising the plans, he questioned the design of several proposed enforcement sites, including the yellow box outside Northampton General Hospital and junctions on Mere Way.

He said the box outside the hospital “pointlessly extends beyond the junction, which will catch out innocent left-turners”.

On the Mere Way location opposite the fire station, he said: “This pointless box on Mere Way opposite the fire station breaches government guidance.”

He also questioned how emergency vehicles would navigate congestion at the junction, asking: “So what happens when the fire engine gets here and there's congestion? Where's it going? What is the point?”

He said he expected drivers to be caught out by the restrictions, adding: “I expect to see lots of drivers finding out the hard way that the right-turn exemption does not apply in this situation because there are no oncoming vehicles.”

The Yellow Box Guru also challenged the council's claims that enforcement would improve road safety and reduce congestion.

He said he had submitted an FOI request asking for evidence supporting those claims.

“Despite over 20 years of enforcement in London, there is still no evidence it improves traffic flow or safety,” he said.

He also accused the council of using enforcement to raise money. West Northamptonshire Council declined to respond to his comments.

Councillor Richard Butler, the council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, previously defended the plans.

He said: “People expect our roads to be safe and to work properly.

“When drivers ignore restrictions, it can cause congestion, delay emergency services and put other road users at risk.

“We have carefully reviewed each of these locations and focused on the places where enforcement will make the biggest difference.

“We will take a fair and balanced approach, starting with warning notices so drivers have time to adjust.

“This is about improving behaviour and keeping traffic moving, and our current enforcement does suggest most drivers are responding positively.”

He also said the aim was “not to raise revenue” but to improve compliance, keep traffic moving and improve road safety.

A council report explaining how the sites were selected said: “A feasibility study was undertaken at each of the locations to ascertain what would be needed to bring the locations up to an enforcement level.

“The locations were again reviewed, and a final list of suitable sites was produced. This was then sent out for public consultation in December 2025 asking for views.

“The lack of enforcement at the proposed locations has allowed drivers to ignore the restrictions and cause an impact on the network, especially at peak times.”

The plans followed a one-month consultation in December 2025, which received 419 responses from a potential population of about 400,000 people across West Northamptonshire.

None of the proposed sites received majority support from respondents, with opposition above 50% at several locations, including Harborough Road and Mill Lane, Cliftonville Road and St Peter’s Way.

The council's report said: “The public consultation showed a general level of support for the implementation of further moving traffic enforcement sites.”

It also stated: “This proposal has not been reviewed by overview and scrutiny.”

The council is also considering a further group of locations for possible enforcement, including roads in the town centre, around schools and on major routes and roundabouts.