Drivers will be hit by £70 council fines for seven ‘minor’ traffic offences from June

MOTORISTS are set to be fined by their local council for numerous "minor" traffic offences.

From June 2022, it won't just be the police that will have the power to fine drivers for certain wrongdoings.

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A Penalty Notice Charge (PCN) is given out by the police for traffic infringements, besides in London and Cardiff where local authorities are already able to dish out fines.

All councils in England and Wales will be given the opportunity to apply for the extra power from May, but that doesn't mean they'll be able to fine straight away.

Local authorities won't be able to start fine drivers until they have applied and their application is approved by Department for Transport.

Baroness Vere took to Twitter to say: "From May, local authorities in England will be able to apply for powers to fine those who disobey certain rules of the road, such as stopping unlawfully in box junctions & driving through no entry signs.

"This will help cut congestion, improve bus services & boost road safety."

The change will be in Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004.

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Local authorities will be able to use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to catch drivers out.

Fines will be up to the amount of £70.

Councils will be told to offer discounts to those drivers that pay their PCN's early, which is usually within 14 days of the ticket being issued.

This means that fines may not start being dished out by councils until June 1.

A "minor" traffic offence is road infringement that hinders the flow of traffic on the roads.

The "minor" traffic offences that councils will be able to fine for are:

• Illegal turns
• Driving in a no entry zone
• Stopping in a box junction
• Driving the wrong way on a one-way street
• Illegal U-turns
• Driving in cycle lanes
• Failing to give way to oncoming traffic

Elsewhere, the new Highway Code rules have been brought in, are you up to date with them?

Plus, check to make sure you're not doing any of these common driving mistakes.

And, with the cold weather still around, make sure you are de-icing your car in a safe way.