Mechelen cancels 60 fines issued to drivers following police diversion
Mechelen authorities have cancelled about 60 fines wrongly issued to motorists who followed a police diversion during a fire near the Brusselpoort, while drivers who already paid will receive automatic refunds.
Around 60 people received a financial penalty for following police instructions during an emergency. Automatic cancellation and reimbursement spare them from having to prove individually that the authorised diversion caused the registered passage.
UPDATED 24 AUGUST 2026, 16:00 CEST — authorities have cancelled about 60 traffic fines issued after motorists followed a police-directed diversion during a fire on on Saturday 25 July. told VRT NWS and Het Nieuwsblad that the drivers do not have to pay; anyone who has already paid will receive an automatic refund.
Emergency services were called at about 20:00 to a fire behind a townhouse near the , according to Het Nieuwsblad. Police temporarily closed so firefighters could work and instructed approaching motorists to turn back towards a service road.
That route took the vehicles through a traffic filter, where the passages were registered as violations. spokesperson Dirk Van de Sande attributed the resulting fines to a breakdown between the officers managing the incident and the subsequent administrative processing. The police put the affected group at approximately 60 motorists.
The confirmed remedy requires no objection or refund request from the drivers. Van de Sande said the case files will be closed, payments already made will be returned automatically and will write to everyone concerned. Neither the police nor the municipal service has publicly specified the value of each fine or how many recipients had paid before the error was identified.
The episode illustrates how camera-supported enforcement can continue processing vehicle movements after temporary instructions on the street have changed the normal route. ’s official GAS4 regulation states that traffic fines are generated at the start of the administrative procedure. A 2024 city council answer explains that an official may later halt collection when an error is found in a file.
For affected motorists, the immediate message is straightforward: do not pay this particular fine and wait for the written confirmation from . Those who have already paid should monitor the account used for payment. The authorities have announced the cancellations and refunds but have not said when the letters or repayments will arrive, or what procedural change will prevent another emergency diversion from triggering the same problem.
Impact
Regional — The impact is confined primarily to motorists who used the diversion near Brusselpoort in Mechelen and to the local police and GAS administration responsible for correcting the files.
Local — The correction directly affects about 60 motorists who used the police-directed diversion near Brusselpoort and Koningin Astridlaan in Mechelen. Unpaid files will be closed, while completed payments will be refunded automatically. The episode also requires coordination between Rivierenland police, the City of Mechelen and GAS Rivierenland so that emergency routing through a local traffic filter is not treated as an ordinary violation in the affected cases.
What it means for you
If you received one of these fines after following the police diversion near Brusselpoort during the Koningin Astridlaan fire on 25 July, you do not need to pay it: the affected file will be closed. If you already paid, the refund should be made automatically, so no individual objection is required based on the information published. Keep the fine notice and proof of payment until the cancellation or reimbursement appears. This correction concerns the identified diversion-related files, not unrelated Mechelen traffic fines.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
City where the diversion occurred and the affected traffic fines were cancelled.
Mechelen road where the fire prompted the traffic diversion on 25 July.
Mechelen landmark and local area near the diversion and traffic filter.
Municipal authority responsible for the decision to correct the affected fines.
Emergency that caused police to divert traffic through the restricted point.
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City where the diversion occurred and the affected traffic fines were cancelled.
Mechelen road where the fire prompted the traffic diversion on 25 July.
Mechelen landmark and local area near the diversion and traffic filter.
Emergency that caused police to divert traffic through the restricted point.
Local regulatory framework referenced in the sources for Mechelen traffic-sanction files.
Municipal authority responsible for the decision to correct the affected fines.
Police service that directed motorists along the emergency diversion.
Administrative body handling the municipal traffic-sanction files concerned.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceVRT NWSPrimaryprimary· vrtnws.beRetrieved 24 August 2026
- View sourceHet Nieuwsbladcorroborating· nieuwsblad.be· 19 August 2026Retrieved 24 August 2026· 44 days ago· Dated
- View sourceGAS Rivierenland — Mechelen traffic police regulationofficial· gasrivierenland.be· 1 March 2026Retrieved 24 August 2026· 215 days ago· Dated
- View sourceCity of Mechelen — council answer on GAS finesofficial· mechelen.be· 24 April 2024Retrieved 24 August 2026· 891 days ago· Dated
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