Sat-navs are sending drivers down one of Britain's most prolific bus lanes, motorists say

Sat-navs are sending drivers down one of Britain's most prolific bus lanes where nearly 1,000 people are fined every day, motorists have complained.

Drivers on Oxford Road in Manchester have been caught in bus lanes 149,898 times since the road layout was changed last September, according to figures obtained by Manchester Evening News.

Only buses, black cabs and cyclists can now use sectoins of the road between 6am and 9pm.

But drivers have said the signs are confusing and sat-nav devices have yet to catch up with the change.

Signs at either end of the "bus gates" show a red circle with a car and motorbike inside. 

One driver, Alexandra Frank, said: "Unsuspecting city visitors and other drivers are corralled into the ‘no cars’ area and then photographed.

"They realise only too late."

Councillor Angeliki Stogia said: "We believe that the vast majority of penalty notices are being issued to motorists from outside of the city who are travelling to Manchester for the first time and following outdated sat nav routes."

She added: “The number of motorists driving into the prohibited zone is very low compared to the volume of traffic which used this road prior to the introduction of bus gates, which proves their effectiveness.”

She said the signs were clear and the measures had not been introduced to raise revenue.