Three MPs say a Crown Court found TfL's 40mph limit on the A20 through Bromley unlawful. They want fines repaid and points removed; no refund route yet.

Three MPs say a Crown Court has found that the temporary 40mph speed limit on the A20 through Bromley was unlawful. They have written to the Mayor of London asking how drivers caught by it can get their fines back.

Gareth Bacon, the MP for Orpington, published the letter on his website. He wrote it with Laura Trott, the MP for Sevenoaks, and Louie French, the MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup (Gareth Bacon MP, “Crown Court finds A20 speed restriction unlawful”).

Mr Bacon says the ruling found “that the Traffic Order and Notice used by TfL were unlawful, meaning the temporary speed restriction was unlawful in the first place”. His post does not name the court, the date of the ruling or the case. We have not been able to read the judgment, so the finding is reported here as the MPs describe it.

What the MPs are asking for

The MPs want Transport for London to explain how drivers can:

  • have their convictions overturned
  • have penalty points removed
  • have their fines repaid
  • be compensated for any losses

On Wednesday Mr Bacon said the Mayor had not yet replied. “So if the speed restriction itself was unlawful in the first place, how can any of the fines issued because of it be valid?” he wrote (Gareth Bacon MP, 21 October 2026).

Mr Bacon says some drivers received several fines and penalty points, and that some lost their jobs as a result. Media reports have put the number of notices of intended prosecution issued on the stretch at more than 60,000. Neither TfL nor the Metropolitan Police has published a total, and we have not been able to check that figure.

Where the limit applied

The limit was set by a TfL traffic order made under section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Section 14 lets a highway authority restrict traffic temporarily when there is a danger to the public. The order covered the London Boroughs of Bexley and Bromley (TfL public notice, order GLA/2023/0622).

It applied to the south-eastbound carriageway only, heading out of London towards Swanley. The 40mph limit covered:

  • the A20 Sidcup By-Pass from a point 1,545 metres north-west of the A222 Chislehurst Road to just short of the border between Bromley and Kent
  • the slip roads on and off the A20 at Frognal Corner, where it meets the A222
  • the slip roads on and off the A20 at Crittall’s Corner, where it meets Edgington Way, Cray Road and Sevenoaks Road

The notice gives the reason as “the likelihood of danger to the public or of serious damage to the road due to persistent flooding of the carriageway”. It was dated 11 October 2023. It allowed the limit to apply from 18 October 2023 until 26 March 2025, or until permanent works to stop the flooding were finished, whichever came first.

What the Mayor has said before

The London Assembly passed a motion in February 2025 calling for an independent investigation of the A20 limit. The Mayor replied in May 2025 (letter from the Mayor to the Chair of the London Assembly, 30 May 2025).

He said the limit was needed because of “a serious risk of collision due to surface water flooding and water sheeting”. He listed incidents between 2019 and 2022, including an overturned vehicle. He added that he understood the Assembly’s concerns about enforcement, and that TfL’s traffic orders team was “looking into the points raised”.

Mr Bacon says TfL has also admitted that an incorrect sign on the road was put up by what it called a “third party”.

What it means for you

  • If you were caught on this stretch between October 2023 and the end of the limit, there is no refund or appeal scheme yet. Nothing changes automatically for you because of the ruling the MPs describe.
  • Keep your paperwork: the notice of intended prosecution, the fixed penalty or court letter, and any proof of payment. If TfL or the Mayor sets out a route, you will need them.
  • If you need advice on your own case, speak to a solicitor who handles motoring cases. We cannot advise on individual convictions.
  • For the road this week, our Bromley roadworks and travel page carries the current closures across the borough.

We will report the Mayor’s reply when it is published.

Sources