A council is to end its softly-softly approach to drivers who use a prohibited bus lane.

From today any unauthorised motorists who enter the bus lane in Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells, can expect to receive a £70 penalty charge notice in the post.

The council has been monitoring the area in front of the war memorial in the town using CCTV since February 20 and so far 6,000 offenders have been clocked – with some motorists offending multiple times a day,.

To date they have only received a warning letter, but now the council says it will be getting tougher.

Tunbridge Wells council said that a number of drivers who had already received a warning continued to flout the rules, with some vehicles detected multiple times in a day and up to 40 times over the month that warning notices have been issued.

Parking manager John Strachan said: "Our thanks go to the motorists who are observing the restriction and we have now noticed fewer cars pass through this area; hopefully making it more pleasant for pedestrians and cyclists."

The bus gate/lane restriction applies daily between 9am and 6pm as part of a joint initiative between the borough council and Kent County Council.

The restriction is intended to support sustainable transport and reduce air and noise pollution in the town centre.

It also makes the town centre safer for pedestrians and more attractive to shoppers.

More information on the bus gate and exemptions to the restriction can be found here.

Some vehicles are permitted to enter the restriction. They are buses, taxis and goods vehicle delivering within the area.

However, there is no exemption for blue badge holders or for picking up/dropping off passengers.