More than six million traffic fines have been issued in London in the last year - the most ever.

A 280% rise in moving traffic offences pushed the total number of tickets in the capital over the six million mark for the first time.

In the 12 months to March, almost 390,000 motorists were fined for yellow box junctions, driving up one-way streets and ignoring no-turn or no-entry signs.

It is nearly four times as much as the 102,000 of the previous year, new figures of the Association of London Government (ALG) showed.

'New gold rush for motoring fines'

The AA Motoring Trust warned that moving traffic enforcement should not become "a new gold rush for motoring fines".

Busy junctions with a "blizzard of restrictions" may confuse drivers who are unfamiliar with the roads, said Paul Watters, the trust's head of transport policy.

He urged councils to review such junctions. "Large-scale and automatic enforcement with CCTV could create the same climate of hostility and resentment that parking enforcement did."

Barry Segal of the website appealnow.com, a website that helps drivers fight tickets, said the leap in moving traffic fines was "alarming".

"The cameras often don't tell the full story." Some drivers were fined, for example, after an emergency vehicle forced them into a yellow box junction, Mr Segal added. "If the systems were properly monitored, these people would not have been fined."

But the ALG said it was the first full year in which new powers were available to enforce moving traffic rules. The number of councils doing so doubled to 12.

Camden issued the most tickets (106,479), followed by Ealing (100,746) and Transport for London (55,842).

5 million parking tickets

The total number of parking tickets written in London showed only a small increase of 1.5%, largely due to Transport for London now issuing parking fines on red routes.

Borough councils fined 173,134 fewer drivers for illegal parking, mainly because Westminster told its wardens to ease up.

Councils also clamped about 50,000 fewer vehicles than the year before - a drop of 66%. The AA Motoring Trust said it only came after a "colossal backlash by the motoring public".

Bus lane fines were also 16% down to just under 700,000.

Tariq Ahmad, deputy chair of the ALG's transport committee, atrributed the drop to the use of CCTV cameras. "Motorists now know that if they drive in a bus lane they will be seen and will receive a fine."

In another decrease, 699 fewer lorry drivers and operators were fined for breaching restrictions.

The total number of traffic fines in London was 6,165,971 - up 3.8% from the previous year.

Less than 1% of the drivers lodged an appeal with the Independent Adjudicators - a last resort after appeals at the councils failed.

"Boroughs carry out enforcement to ensure that people follow the rules and don't cause obstructions and dangers to other road users," Mr Ahmad said.

"Motorists who flout the law will receive a fine. The only way to avoid receiving a fine is to park legally."

MOVING TRAFFIC FINES

Only the following 12 authorities issued moving traffic fines:Camden 106,479
Ealing 100,746
Transport for London 55,842
Haringey 43,684
Newham 34,667
Islington 16,620
Croydon 12,018
Westminster 6,201
Hammersmith & Fulham 3,975
Wandsworth 3,136
Enfield 3,113
Lambeth 2,574

TOTAL 389,055

BUS LANE FINES

Highest ten

Transport for London 155,282
Ealing 70,265
Enfield 48,014
Islington 43,517
Lambeth 36,938
Barnet 33,417
Newham 32,891
Hillingdon 27,532
Haringey 25,218
Camden 24,514

Lowest three

Croydon 3,428
Lewisham 1,603
Westminster 790

TOTAL 697,816

  • Greenwich, Havering, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea, Redbridge and Sutton did not issue any bus lane fines.

PARKING TICKETS BY BOROUGH

Barking & Dagenham 42,416
Barnet 168,681
Bexley 65,739
Brent 113,561
Bromley 69,538
Camden 448,085
City of London 37,478
Croydon 86,534
Ealing 212,656
Enfield 100,087
Greenwich 48,892
Hackney 140,966
Hammersmith & Fulham 165,196
Haringey 134,551
Harrow 83,303
Havering 40,141
Hillingdon 61,211
Hounslow 92,764
Islington 210,685
Kensington & Chelsea 294,932
Kingston 63,980
Lambeth 255,066
Lewisham 63,250
Merton 56,860
Newham 188,465
Redbridge 95,966
Richmond 72,526
Southwark 135,045
Sutton 48,965
Tower Hamlets 72,858
Waltham Forest 140,216
Wandsworth 245,475
Westminster 715,085
Transport for London 304,305

TOTAL 5,075,478