BUS lane cameras which have never been turned on are set to go live for the the first time.

Essex County Council has two cameras positioned in Nayland Road, in Mile End, Colchester, in a bid to stop drivers using the road as a cut-through.

But in the decade the cameras have been there, they have never been switched on... until now.

A freedom of information request to County Hall has revealed bosses now plan to send them live for the first time at the end of the month.

Warning notices will begin to be issued to rogue drivers as soon as the cameras are live.

Fines will not be issued until late February.

Martin Goss, Colchester councillor for Mile End said: “It seems Essex County Council has finally got its act together and realised if they want a bus lane to be used only by buses, they have to police it - because Essex Police aren’t going to do it.”

The senior Lib Dem added: “For some time, people have known the cameras which have been there have not been operational so drivers, naturally, have been chancing their arm.

“It’s not something which we or indeed Essex County Council, would want to publicise but of course people talk.”

Mr Goss also called for a relaxation of bus lanes across the town, citing the lack of any 24-hour bus service to support the day-long bans.

He added: “I would say there is room for flexibility when it comes to bus lanes. So what if people use them, say, after 7pm? The point of them is to alleviate traffic in peak hours.”

An Essex County Council spokesman said: “We can advise that Nayland Road, Mile End, cameras have never been operational, nor was the single camera that was installed before the installation of the two new ones.

“If all goes according to plan, the two new cameras at Nayland Road will be switched on to issue warning notices from late January and then actual live penalty charge notices a month later.”

“It should be noted that we install cameras to work towards 100 per cent compliance of the restriction not to gather revenue.”

The County Hall spokesman added: “However, Essex County Council receives no revenue from the use of cameras; all fines issued as a result of speeding offences go directly to the consolidated fund at HM Treasury.

“There are situations whereby an offender can be offered by the police an education course instead of a fine and for this eventuality Essex County Council can recover its costs in delivering the course.