The London junction that has cost drivers more than £2,500,000 in fines

A junction in a wealthy area of London has been branded a ‘money-maker’ after motorists forked out £2.6 million in fines in just 14 months.

More than 36,0000 penalty charge notices were issued by Kensington and Chelsea Council from April 2024 to June 2025 after motorists driving larger vehicles were caught on camera using the north side entrance of Albert Bridge on the Chelsea Embankment in west London, despite a weight limit being introduced in January 2024.

Signs have been installed in front of to warn drivers of the restriction, but thousands of heavy vehicles are still using it every day, leading to more than £2,564,230 in fines being handed out.

Kensington and Chelsea Council approved for the weight limit to be introduced at the entrance of the Grade-II bridge to protect it from being damaged. Vehicles using the bridge have to weigh under three tonnes, and be fewer than 6’6 wide, to go over it.

Typically, small vans like Citroen Berlingos and medium vans like Ford Transits are below three tonnes, while Luton vans exceed it. Modern trucks and some SUVs, such as Range Rovers, are close to the limit or exceed it.

On one busy morning last November, Metro observed several heavy vehicles driving on the bridge during midweek morning commuter times and evening rush hour.

One resident, who works nearby and did not want to be named, told Metro that the busy mornings at the junction become ‘beeping hour’ when large vehicles get stuck at the entrance, leading to cars behind them getting blocked.

Motorists then risk getting stuck in the yellow box in front of the bridge, where they could face further fines. It is unclear how many motorists have also received fines from the yellow box as that is monitored by Transport for London (TfL). Metro has contacted TfL for comment.

Another resident, who has lived near the bridge for more than 30 years, told Metro the location is a ‘money-maker’ for the council.

The pensioner, who drives and cycles, said: ‘They altered access to Chelsea Bridge, which has moved a lot of traffic here. It has stuffed up everything, and it has pushed everything to other bridges.

‘Albert is a little bridge, it’s not fit for heavy traffic, it is very clearly marked.  Battersea Bridge is equally narrow. These bridges are not built to take this amount of traffic.’

She added she does, however, agree with the restrictions, and said cars largely don’t get stuck ‘unless they [the motorists] are really stupid.’  

‘People who ignore it are ignorant. It is a fragile structure, that’s why there is a weight restriction. It’s not just for the hell of it,’ she said.

According to the Freedom of Information request, Albert Bridge north raked in the most revenue from penalty charge notices across the whole of London from April 2024 to June 2025. Barking and Dagenham Council, in east London, came second, with £1,990,325 in fines handed out from Station Parade. Camrose Avenue, in Harrow, came third, with £1,599, 341 in fines being issued for the same period.

Albert Bridge’s history

Despite its picturesque design and convenient location, the 710-foot bridge has been marred by trouble since its early days.

Opened in 1873, it was designed for the needs of Victorian Londoners using horse-drawn carriage and carts to cross between Battersea in south west London and Chelsea.

It originally operated as a toll bridge but was quickly considered a financial flop. Just six years after opening, the crossing toll was removed.

In 1884, engineers found the iron rods built into in the bridge were already showing signs of corrosion. Despite expensive improvements, chief engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette still had his concerns, and a five-tonne weight limit was enforced. D

ue to further deterioration, the weight limit was tightened again to two tonnes in 1935.

But the bridge, aptly nicknamed ‘The Trembling Lady’, continued to worsen, leading to further improvement and strengthening works. In 1990, a traffic island was installed to stop larger vehicles from entering the bridge. Further improvements were made in 2010 and it reopened in 2011 after being closed for 22 months.

A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: ‘We take our responsibility to protect Albert Bridge as vital river crossing and an iconic landmark very seriously.

‘To ensure it remains open for the future we have been enforcing the weight restriction with fines since January 2024.

‘We strongly encourage drivers to check the weight of their vehicles are under three tonnes before they pass onto the bridge, to help us protect the structure and to avoid a fine.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Comments Add as preferred source