Two drivers who flippantly ignored temporary traffic lights in Bradford – one causing a school bus to stop abruptly – have been slammed by road safety campaigners.

The two motorists drove onto the wrong side of the road to cut past queuing traffic and drive through red lights at roadworks in Bingley Road, Heaton.

The roadworks are next to the junction with Thorn Lane, which leads to two high schools and two special schools.

The first driver, in a black BMW, overtook queuing cars at speed to go through the traffic lights, which had already turned red. It was followed by a black Volkswagen Golf almost 20 seconds later.

One car travelling in the opposite direction managed to get through the roadworks, but the Golf forced a school bus to brake and other cars behind it stop as the Golf squeezed through a narrow gap before accelerating away past oncoming traffic.

The incident happened shortly before 4.20pm on Wednesday.

Sergeant Cameron Buchan is the officer leading Operation Steerside, West Yorkshire Police’s targeted crackdown on dangerous and illegal drivers in Bradford, that has snared more than 12,000 drivers in the past two years.

He said: “I feel like I am repeating myself here, but this is simply selfishness.

“These people think they are justified in doing this, or just do not care, and that comes down to selfishness.

“These people are not prepared to wait and obey the rules and expect other people to conform to their desires.

“A school bus was forced to slam on its brakes, it’s just not right.

“It’s saddening.”

A spokesperson for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “This type of behaviour is unacceptable, and could easily have resulted in a crash and needless loss of life or serious injury.

“Traffic lights are in place to protect pedestrians and other drivers, and these drivers appear to have no concern for other road users.

“We urge all road users to ensure they drive responsibly and to remember that the road is a shared space.”

The roadworks in Bingley Road will be in place until Tuesday, April 10, and are being carried out by Northern Gas Networks.

The essential work is being carried out to replace ageing metal gas mains in the road with more durable plastic pipes, to enable businesses and residents to continue to receive safe and reliable gas supplies.

If you have information about an incident of dangerous or illegal driving, capture an incident on your dashcam camera, or want to tell police about problem areas, send the footage or information to bd.steerside@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.