A FURIOUS motorist said traffic enforcement cameras raking in thousands of pounds in fines from motorists are "disgusting".

The outraged driver said the signage for the cameras, which have captured 9,618 motorists in the last month alone, was "very bad".

She narrowly avoided falling victim to the experimental traffic order at Valley Gardens, which led 310 people being fined every day in October.

The Argus visited the controversial bus gates yesterday and within minutes, witnessed dozens of unsuspecting motorists breaching the traffic order.

One motorist told The Argus: "I came down here and I saw this thing and I thought, 'uh oh, there is something going on here'.

The Argus:

"As far as I know, Brighton is one of the cities in this country that makes the most money out of fines.

"It is disgusting."

The cameras were introduced following the experimental traffic order in June last year, limiting the roads to buses, taxis and bicycles only.

They are stationed at Marlborough Place, St Georges Place, St Peters Place and York Place - with one capturing around 5,400 members of the public.

The shocking figures were revealed by Councillor Robert Nemeth at Wednesday’s environment transport and sustainability committee.

Councillors on the committee agreed to make the project permanent when they meet on Tuesday, 16 November.

Cllr Nemeth said: "My jaw dropped when I heard the figures. The fact that one person is being fined every two minutes at these bus gates is extraordinary.

“It is clearly being used as a revenue-raising measure by stealth, which sees the council cashing in on confusion and hurting the city’s economy."

There were a string of public comments on the report into the cameras, which went before the council earlier this week.

A number of objections criticised the signs and accused the council of being “money hungry”.

One objection said: “Used complete ambiguous language which isn’t Highway Code legal at all. Signage placed so by the time you are aware or informed you have already been fined! Not acceptable at all.

“Completely unclear and unnecessary it’s just an attempt to create a carless city!

“All these attempts to make the city inaccessible to residents and more so disabled people damn right breaks equality rights for disabled people.”

Another said: “It will be impossible NOT to drive on this section of road for many people.

“You are just money hungry at a time when this country is on its knees financially. Free up the roads more.

“Bring people into Brighton and Hove, not fines for them going in the badly signed posted (Well, there’s no signs).”

A council spokesman said: “Our Valley Gardens improvements aim to make traffic flow more smoothly in the city centre, as well as improve things for cyclists, bus users and pedestrians.

“Making sure only buses and taxis use the bus lanes is a key part of these improvements. Bus lanes support quicker, more accessible bus travel around our city, which has high bus use, compared to other places.

“We’re keen that our bus network functions well, as many of our residents rely on a good service.

“The enforcement measures we have introduced have been widely consulted on and publicised.

“All appeals to Penalty Charge Notices are reviewed, and then dealt with independently by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal if unsuccessful appeals are taken further.

“The feedback during these further independent reviews is that the council is meeting all the national regulations.

“We also have information about the bus gates on our website, and we can look at promoting this further.

“Bus gates are common elsewhere in the country, and are covered in the highway code.

“It’s important for drivers to be aware of these road regulations, as bus gates exist in other locations in our city too. By driving safely and well, drivers can avoid being penalised.

“These measures are not about making money. They are about keeping traffic flowing and improving the environment, and making it possible for people to travel easily by bus, car or bike.

“All revenues made from the enforcement are invested back into transport improvements and other environmental improvements our city needs.”