DVLA clerical error sees innocent dad spend 16 hours in prison cell

MotoringMotoring NewsDVLAThe gaffe wrongly branded him a dis­qual­i­fied driver.18:41, 16 Aug 2026An innocent dad spent 16 hours in a police cell and four months unable to drive after a DVLA cler­ical error. The gaffe wrongly branded him a dis­qual­i­fied driver.‌IT con­sult­ant Andrew Lees, 47, feared he could go to jail after being arres­ted driv­ing his wife’s Kia Sport­age near their home in Sale, Greater Manchester – when police checks incor­rectly showed he had been banned from the roads.‌Before his arrest, Mr Lees had repeatedly tried to resolve the issue after dis­cov­er­ing the error via a DVLA let­ter in Novem­ber 2025. The let­ter told him he had been banned from driv­ing at Carl­isle Magis­trates’ Court after receiv­ing 19 pen­alty points.‌READ MORE HMRC new 'per mile' charges