TEN TIMES the number of motorists than normal were fined for using the Bridge Street bus lane on the Sunday that the demolition of the Jacob's Well office building led to road closure confusion in Bradford city centre.

One of the drivers has expressed her anger that a Bradford Council diversion led her to the route and she has queried why the lane was not suspended that day.

Carol Medley was one of 163 motorists who were fined for using the bus lane on February 17 - just 16 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued the Sunday before and 28 PCNs were issued the Sunday after.

The Council said that the bus lane was signed correctly and they would only have closed it for the day had there been no alternative route for the diversion.

The route for drivers to avoid the bus lane takes them along Market Street, Bank Street and Broadway back to Bridge Street.

Mrs Medley, 56, of Westbury Road, Horton Bank Top, who obtained the PCN figures from the Council in a Freedom of Information Request, said: "I was not only me who missed it.

"The whole of the town centre was diverted.

"They should have opened the bus lane because there were 14 road closures around the area and it was a Sunday.

"It's about £5,000 that they've made. That's all right for a day's work! It was a money-making exercise."

She was heading through the city centre to Leeds Road from St Luke's Hospital when she was caught up in the road closures.

She was planning to take Senior Way from Little Horton Lane but the diversion route took her past the Alhambra to Godwin Street and then down Sunbridge Road to Bridge Street.

Mrs Medley, who runs a balloon decoration business calls It's My Party Bradford in Clayton, said she knows there is a bus lane there but assumed it was not operating because the diversion took her that way.

"I followed all the cards. They sent you directly towards the bus lane," she added.

She said she appealed the penalty charge notice but the council rejected it because the bus lane was not closed and so she decided to pay the £30 fine rather than try and fight it and pay more.

As part of the huge operation on the day when the Jacob's Well building was demolished, the roads partially closed were: Broadway, Hall Ings, Manchester Road, Nelson Street and Prince's Way.

The roads that were completely closed were: Burrow Street, Channing Way, Croft Street, Drake Street, Norfolk Gardens, Portland Street, Reyhill Grove, Senior Way and William Street.

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “Both bus gates in the city centre are signed correctly and any temporary traffic diversion does not remove the need to follow highway regulations.

“On that day the gates would have been operating in the normal manner as alternative routes were available. Had there been no alternative route and traffic was being diverted specifically through those areas, we would have requested that they be suspended.”