Cengolio · Fines · Codes · TS40
TS40 : failing to comply with direction of a constable/warden
Checked 22 July 2026 · How we check our figures
What it means
TS40 makes a person the sign: failing to comply with the direction of a constable or traffic warden engaged in regulating traffic, s. 35 RTA 1988. Its quiet rule is precedence: the officer's hand outranks the lights, so following a green against the direction is the offence and obeying the officer against the light is the defence. By its nature it is never a camera case, and the dispute is almost always about what the direction actually was.
Points and how long it stays
3 points.
On the licence for 4 years from the date of the offence.
The TS codes carry the flattest arithmetic of the table, 3 points each on the 4-year offence clock, no ranges. What varies is the instrument: traffic lights (TS10), double white lines (TS20), the stop sign (TS30), a constable's or warden's direction (TS40, s. 35 RTA 1988), the general sign catch-all (TS50 and TS70) and the school crossing patrol (TS60, s. 28 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984); the sign offences themselves run under s. 36 RTA 1988. Only the traffic light code is routinely enforced by camera, the rest need an officer on the spot, which is why TS10 dominates the family in volume. A sign supports a conviction only where it is lawfully prescribed and placed, and that is argued in a courtroom, not on the form. Flat 3s stack quietly: four of them inside 3 years reach the totting line, the mechanics in the totting up guide at /fines/guides/totting-up.
The usual route
The roadside outcome, where the officer reaches for paper rather than a word, is the endorsable 100 pounds and 3 points (gov.uk, checked 2026-07-22).
If it goes to court
In court the fine is income-banded at the lower bands; mechanics in the fine bands guide.
Read next
Calculator: the code decoder, every code on the official list →
Authority
gov.uk, Penalty points (endorsements), checked 2026-07-22