CAMERAS will be switched on to catch drivers illegally using a bus lane.

The section of road in Clayton-le-Moors, towards Accrington, is to be monitored following ‘misuse’ by some drivers.

Cameras have been installed on the bus lane which runs along Whalley Road, between Clayton Hall Drive and the Sparth Road, and will catch unauthorised vehicles in the bus lane.

The enforcement cameras will be switched on on Monday but critics say they are over the top.

County Hall bosses said the aim of the bus lane is to improve travel times for people using public transport.

Lancashire County Council’s highway network manager Daniel Herbert said: “We want to discourage people from using this bus lane when they shouldn’t.

“This lane is designed to help people travelling by bus towards Accrington, which should encourage people to think about using the bus rather than travelling by car, which helps to reduce congestion.

“We don’t want anyone to get caught out by these cameras, which is why we’ve introduced a short grace period. We’re happy if we don’t make a penny from them, as it means that people are doing the right thing.”

The county council will only issue warning notices at first, ahead of full enforcement when people who misuse the bus lane will be fined up to £60.

However some Hyndburn councillors said the large amount of traffic that travels through Clayton every day was causing the ‘real problem’ with added congestion and polluting the air.

Cllr Tim O'Kane, who represents the area, said: “It’s a very short-sighted view and not a long-term solution.

"It does not add up and quite often if you get engineers coming up with suggestions they are being made by people who have no idea of what Clayton is like and what people are having to put up with on a daily basis.”

However Hyndburn Council leader Miles Parkinson said the cameras would not solve the problem but ‘exacerbate’ it.

He said: “The bus lane introduced in Clayton provides no positive impact for the residents or car users of the major Whalley Road.

“Lancashire County Council need to re-look at what they have been imposed and scrap it.”