More than 51,000 pandemic fines remain unpaid

There is growing pressure for an amnesty to be granted to outstanding coronavirus fines, after figures reveal more than 40 per cent have not been paid.

124,626 fixed penalty notices were handed out during the pandemic for a range of offences such as hosting an illegal gathering or refusing to wear a face mask where required. Over £8.2 million has been collected in fines and the money has then been distributed to local councils across England and Wales.

However, figures released by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) revealed that more than 51,000 fines handed out by officers have gone unpaid. It will now be up to the courts to decide whether to act over any outstanding fines. But legal experts are warning that it could prove impossible to pursue them all due to a huge backlog of criminal cases already in the system.

Lawyers have also pointed out that the coronavirus legislation imposes a time limit on the authorities, which could result in many outstanding cases having to be dropped.

The official policy was to take the four Es approach of engaging, explaining, encouraging, and only using enforcement as a last resort when a police officer believed a person had breached the emergency coronavirus regulations. But despite the so-called 'softly, softly' approach, at the peak of the lockdown across England and Wales more than 1,000 fines were being handed out every day.

The size of the fines ranged from £100 for the most minor breaches up to £10,000 for those who deliberately flouted the law by hosting large gatherings, raves, or parties. Once a fixed penalty notice was issued the recipient was given 28 days in which to pay the full amount.

According to the NPCC data covering the period between March 2020 – when the pandemic first took hold – and Feb 27 this year, a total of 70,495 fixed penalty notices were paid by offenders within the 28 days allowed. Anyone failing to pay the fine within the window then has the option to challenge the decision in the magistrates' court.

However, before a case is pursued, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service must decide whether it is in the public interest to press ahead.

The backlog of criminal cases waiting to be heard at magistrates' courts stood at almost 60,000 at the end of last year. If the thousands of people accused of breaching the coronavirus laws decide to go ahead and challenge their fines in courts, that will only add to the already-enormous backlog.

The Johnson Partnership
Nottingham Solicitors
01159 419141