Manchester has been revealed to have issued the most bus lane penalties of anywhere outside of London, according to new research by Compare The Market.

The price comparison website revealed that Manchester City Council made over £8 million from 388,213 Penalty Charge Notices in the last year.

The UK's bus lane penalty hotspots

That figure was considerably more than Glasgow which placed second on the list. The Scottish city netted just under £2.9 million from 89,658 fines, while Coventry was third with around £2.7 million from over 86,000 fines.

Back to London though, it was Lambeth that proved to be the capital's hotspot, issuing 41,628 bus lane PCNs in the last year, generating £2.7 million. Ealing made £1.82 million from fines, while Kingston upon Thames got £1.65 and Camden £1.33.

To get the figures, Compare The Market submitted a Freedom of Information request for data from the UK's 50 most populated cities, along with each London borough.

London's bus lane penalty hotspots

Because not all councils use CCTV to enforce bus lane penalties, not all were able to provide figures, and in London the data related to those bus lanes operated by borough councils, rather than Transport for London. The figures related to PCNs issued during the 2018/19 financial year – some PCNs may have been cancelled or written off, or may not have been paid yet (as of April 7 of this year).

"It can happen to the best of us, especially if you are driving in an unfamiliar part of a city or town," said Dan Hutson, head of motor insurance at comparethemarket.com. "However, with cameras monitoring the roads more and more, it’s easy to get caught out.

"With more of us getting back on the roads, in particular for commuting into big cities, it’s important to keep the rules of the road in mind as no-one wants to end up with a fine.

"If you think you’ve received a fine and it’s wrong, you can always contest a penalty charge notice (PCN). However, keep in mind that if you don’t pay the fine within 14 days, the rate usually doubles."