A bus gate camera, operating for just two hours a day, racked up almost £150,000 in fines from drivers in a mere eight months.

Eastern Daily Press: The bus gate on Rampant Horse Street, Norwich. Picture: ANTONY KELLYThe bus gate on Rampant Horse Street, Norwich. Picture: ANTONY KELLY (Image: Archant Norfolk 2015)

An average of almost 700 drivers a month have been caught by the camera at the bus gate in Grove Road, Norwich, since it started operating in March this year.

And those fines contributed to more than £680,000 Norwich City Council has been paid in fines for contraventions at bus gates since October 2017.

Figures, obtained through the Freedom Of Information Act, revealed fines were issued to 24,121 motorists who went down roads where traffic is banned over the two years up to October.

The city has bus gate cameras in St Stephens Street, Rampant Horse Street, Albion Way, Grove Road and Earlham Green Lane.

Eastern Daily Press: The bus gate where Grove Road meets Brazen Gate near Sainsbury's in Norwich. Picture: Brittany WoodmanThe bus gate where Grove Road meets Brazen Gate near Sainsbury's in Norwich. Picture: Brittany Woodman (Image: Archant)

The ones in St Stephens Street and Rampant Horse Street have been there since 2015, when a city centre shake-up saw general traffic banned from the roads.

Since October 2017, 8,299 penalty charge notices have been issued in St Stephens Street, with £245,989 paid. Five appeals were allowed.

In Rampant Horse Street, 3,305 fines were issued, bringing in just under £91,700. Five appeals were permitted.

In 2017, new cameras were installed to cover bus lanes on Albion Way, at Norwich's Riverside Retail Park.

Eastern Daily Press: The bus gate where Grove Road meets Brazen Gate near Sainsbury's in Norwich. Picture: Brittany WoodmanThe bus gate where Grove Road meets Brazen Gate near Sainsbury's in Norwich. Picture: Brittany Woodman (Image: Archant)

Since October that year, 5,770 fines have been issued, with just under £180,000 paid.

New bus gate cameras came into use in Grove Road/Brazen Gate and Earlham Green Lane this March.

Despite the bus gate in Grove Road, near Sainsbury's only operating between 7.30am and 9.30am on weekdays, the camera caught drivers flouting the rules 5,549 times from March to October, with £147,544 in fines paid. Three appeals were won.

Almost 1,200 fines were issued at Earlham Green Lane, raising more than £19,600 in fines, with three appeals allowed.

A spokeswoman for Norwich City Council said: "Bus lanes are there to help public transport run on time, reduce traffic at peak times and improve safety for all road users.

"We enforce bus lanes to make sure they are complied with, and find that the number of contraventions falls over time, often to a much lower level.

"Brazen Gate is one of the city's newest and there has already been a substantial decrease in the number of notices issued since it began operating in March."