Motorists were hit with surprise penalty charge notices on Bullers Road after a blunder by Surrey County Council and its enforcement contractor, NSL Parking Services.

The road, which leads to Heath End School, was made Surrey’s first “school street” in April 2025 to reduce air pollution and improve safety outside the school gates during the busiest times of the day.

Under the scheme, vehicle access is restricted during term-time peak hours, with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras enforcing the rules.

The road is open only to pedestrians, cyclists and exempt vehicles at key times, while residents, carers, school transport and blue badge holders are among those permitted access.

Restrictions are not meant to apply during school holidays or weekends, and a six-month warning period was introduced when the scheme launched to help drivers adjust to the changes before fines were issued.

However, a mix-up over school holiday dates meant some motorists were issued fines after driving through Bullers Road during the Easter break, when the scheme should not have been active and no enforcement should have taken place.

Surrey county councillor Catherine Powell said most affected motorists had now been refunded and she had been reassured the error would not be repeated.

Ms Powell said she was “incredibly frustrated” that the cameras had not been switched off during the Easter holidays between March 30 and April 2.

She said the importance of the cameras operating only during term time had been discussed at length with officers before the scheme was introduced, following concerns raised by residents about traffic and safety at busy school times.

Ms Powell added that officers had advised that, to prevent a repeat, they were resetting the camera controllers with the correct pre-programmed term-time activation dates and introducing automated reminders and checks at the start and end of school terms for relevant staff at NSL and Surrey County Council.

“I believe these measures should be sufficient to prevent this happening again,” she added.