The boss of Brighton and Hove's buses has called for London-style red routes to deter illegal parking.

In the capital, motorists know that if they park on the double red lines which line every street within a five-mile radius of the centre they risk being ticketed immediately and towed within minutes.

Roger French, managing director of the Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, wants Brighton and Hove City Council to consider introducing red routes in London Road, Lewes Road and Western Road, Brighton.

Mr French said that although parking attendants visit these key routes regularly, drivers still flout the law, failing to realise that pulling over for just a minute causes huge tailbacks affecting the bus timetable.

A few minutes added to each bus journey creates hours of backlogs at the end of each working day, he said.

Mr French told The Argus: "They really have no idea of the impact they have on traffic by just stopping for a few minutes. The worst places on these routes are where there are cashpoints, video shops or takeaways."

Other local authorities, including Birmingham City Council, have already adopted red routes.

Their introduction has made bus journeys ten per cent quicker and timetables 27 per cent more reliable on average.

Traffic speeds and journey time along the routes have improved by 20 per cent, accidents are down by six per cent and businessmen said trade had not been affected.

Brighton and Hove Buses has 750 drivers and is the fifth largest employer in the city's private sector.

Mr French said: "The drivers get frustrated. A lot of the experienced ones have seen it all before and they try not to let it get to them and to take it as part of the job."

Although Mr French supports blue badge holders, he believes some disabled drivers should not be allowed to park on double yellow lines on key routes, particularly where there are empty disabled bays nearby.

He said: "Red routes would prevent blue badges parking like this. We can provide facilities for disabled road users but in side roads, not on the main route."

A spokesman for the council said: "We are aware of the use of red routes outside the London area and we are looking with interest to see how effective they are.

"We will continue to work very closely with the bus company through the Quality Bus Partnership and continue to develop measures to improve provision for buses and increase bus passenger numbers."