Police in Spain admitted yesterday that a malfunctioning speed camera had been improperly citing motorists for nearly six months. Catalan Traffic Police will issue refunds to anyone who paid a ticket based on the erroneous readings generated by the machine at the 14km mark on the T-11 in Reus between August 24, 2007 and February 14, 2008.

A total of 3200 vehicle owners received tickets worth between 291,000 and 1,920,000 euros (US $440,000 to $2.9 million). Nearby construction work last August caused electrical issues that officials suspect generated the spurious readings or damaged the camera's electronics.

Police decided to rescind the fines only after receiving a deluge of complaints from innocent motorists.