Motorists have been urged to take precautions to avoid fines after research found councils last year collected millions of pounds from people driving in bus lanes.

Research by comparethemarket.com into which local authorities handed out the most penalty charge notices (PCNs) to motorists using bus lanes found that – outside London - Manchester City Council topped the list, receiving £8.39m from 388,213 PCNs.

Glasgow City Council (89,658 PCNs/£2.87m) and Coventry City Council (86,414/£2.74m) were next.

Many councils now use CCTV to detect drivers using bus lanes, with the average cost of a PCN being £60.

Dan Hutson, head of motor insurance at comparethemarket.com, said: “Being caught out from driving in bus lanes can happen to the best of us, especially if you are driving in an unfamiliar part of a city or town.

“However, with cameras monitoring the roads more and more, it is essential to take extra precautions.

“As the Government lockdown continues to ease and drivers continue to increase their mileage, we urge motorists to refresh themselves of the rules of the roads to avoid any unwanted fines.”

He added: “If you have received a fine and you believe it is in error, it is possible to contest a penalty charge notice (PCN). However, keep in mind that if you don’t pay the fine within 14 days, the rate usually doubles.”

Rank	Town/city	Number of PCNs issued	Money received
1	Manchester	388,213	£8,389,610
2	Glasgow	89,658	£2,874,720
3	Coventry	86,414	£2,738,309
4	Reading	71,693	£2,176,571
5	Nottingham	74,275	£2,122,118
6	Birmingham	70,430	£2,065,736
7	Cardiff	76,651	£1,856,146
8	Brighton and Hove	75,029	£1,846,643
9	Bristol	64,035	£1,822,046
10	Cambridge	74,224	£1,821,213

 

Out of all UK cities, the most fines were handed out in London in the last year. Lambeth Borough Council issued 41,628 bus lane PCNs in the last year, which generated £2.7 million in income. This was followed by Ealing (£1.82m), Kingston upon Thames (£1.65m) and Camden (£1.33m).

 

Rank	Borough	Number of PCNs issued	Money received
1	Lambeth	41,628	£2,731,832
2	Ealing	33,713	£1,822,268
3	Kingston upon Thames	23,981	£1,650,300
4	Camden	20,452	£1,334,470
5	Merton	21,014	£1,285,373
6	Hammersmith and Fulham	20,495	£1,235,014
7	Barking and Dagenham	20,665	£1,035,734
8	Bromley	16,607	£979,000
9	Haringey	16,819	£882,711
10	Enfield	10,111	£768,857

 

Earlier this month, a Freedom of Information request found local authorities in London and Cardiff had raised £58.2m from drivers committing moving traffic offences in just one year.