ALMOST 50 drivers a day are being fined for breaching bus lane rules at one Colchester junction.

Between April 2014 and last month, 20,170 drivers were issued fixed penalty charge notices at North Hill at its junction with St Peter’s Street.

This one junction could be earning Essex County Council about £1million a year, depending on how quickly drivers pay the £60 fine.

The figures were revealed after a Freedom of Information request referring to a different bus lane.

The council was asked for figures about the new northbound bus lane in North Station Road, between the Albert and North Station, but provided figures for North Hill instead.

There are 12 bus lanes in force 24/7 in Colchester.

If similar numbers are being caught by other bus lane cameras, motorists may have incurred fines totalling millions of pounds, although total figures are not known.

The large number of fines is the latest controversy linked to Colchester’s bus lanes.

Toby Wynne-Golledge successfully challenged a penalty notice after turning right into Queen Street from High Street. He claimed signs were not clearly visible.

He lost an appeal against Essex County Council, but won when appealing to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, so his £60 penalty was written off.

He said after the tribunal hearing: “There was no other reason why theywould drop it other than I was correct and their signs at the bottom of the High Street were illegal.”

County Hall bosses claim this lane is legally enforceable, but did not challenge the ruling.

Early in 2014, £1million in fines were waived due to problems with the North Hill and Queen Street bus lanes.

And earlier this year it emerged the council had missed out on another £1million in fines after forgetting to turn on the cameras in Nayland Road for five years.

All lanes and cameras, including the north-bound stretch of North Station Road up to the Albert, are now believed to be active.