Cheltenham Boots Corner 'bus gate' nets 5,000 drivers

Drivers have been fined £60 for driving through "Boots Corner"

More than 5,000 motorists have been caught driving through a "bus gate" in Cheltenham during a trial that has seen the road closed to regular traffic.

Cameras have been monitoring a section of Clarence Street, known locally as Boots Corner, for the past five weeks.

During the period an average of 300 people per day have used the road, down from 11,500 before the trial.

Cheltenham Borough Council confirmed 5,048 drivers had been fined but said the trial was going "very well".

The restrictions came into force on 28 June and were enforced from 10 August when the penalty notices started being issued.

The fines are £60, but if they are paid with 14 days it falls to £30, potentially generating between £150,000 and £300,000 for Gloucestershire County Council's highways budget.

The borough council said the changes will make it easier for people to walk, cycle and use public transport in the town centre.

Councillor Andrew McKinlay said the authority believed the trial was going "very well" and that it had not caused any significant traffic problems elsewhere in the town.

"There are a minority of people having problems, we are talking to them about addressing those concerns and that will continue as the trial goes on," he said.

"Where we find issues we will address them," the cabinet member of development and safety added.

The trial is expected to last 18 months.