The number of penalties for people driving in bus lanes has gone up by 31 per cent in Haringey.

New research by Click4Reg revealed that in 2016 Haringey council issued nearly 18,000 penalty charge notices for unauthorised vehicles driving in bus lanes.

Out of all the London boroughs this put Haringey in the top ten for increases in the number of penalty charges given between 2015 and 2016.

Cllr Kirsten Hearn, cabinet member for environment at Haringey Council, said: “Enforcement allows us to keep the borough moving and take action against those whose inconsiderate driving causes congestion and puts other road users at risk.

“All income raised from penalty charge notices is reinvested in highways improvements to make our borough safer and easier to get around.

“Drivers who flout the rules in Haringey should expect to receive a ticket.”

A total of 346,860 bus lane penalty charge notices were issued by 26 London councils in 2016, an eight per cent increase from 2015.

This was an equivalent of 950 bus lane penalties per day in London.

Bus lanes in the capital have specified hours during which other vehicles are prohibited from using the lanes – if they do, they risk getting a penalty charge notice.

These hours tend to be during morning and evening rush-hour periods and unauthorised vehicles driving in these lanes could face a £160 fine inside Greater London.

Elie Fakhoury, managing director of Click4Reg.co.uk, said: “With driving in the capital already problematic, largely due to the heavy congestion, it seems many drivers are using the bus lane to jump queues and minimise delays to their own trips.”