Bad drivers in Kent face fines under a new scheme to be adopted by the county's largest authority.

Motorists who ignore no entry signs, drive along bus lanes, block 'yellow boxes' or drive where vehicles are not permitted could be caught on a set of new cameras.

The automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology will then process information and fines of up to £70 – or £35 if paid within three weeks.

Kent County Council (KCC) has signed a contract with Birmingham-based Marston Holdings Ltd which will supply the cameras, associated hardware, back office computer system and debt recovery.

Councillors broadly welcomed the scheme, due to start in the spring, and were reassured the authority cannot use it as a way of generating cash.

Cllr Mike Dendor said the scheme would be useful in improving the road network and if successful be expanded.

Chairman of the Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee Sean Holden said it had the potential to “change motorists behaviour”.

Members were told on Thursday, March 7, that money generated would be ring-fenced to the scheme and could not be diverted by KCC into other areas.

One such route already identified is the Fastrack bus route in Dartford.

Drivers will be excused a single offence within the first six months of the scheme's implementation but fined thereafter.

KCC, which looks after 5,400 miles of roads, is using the 2004 Traffic Management Act (TMA) to bring in the new scheme.

Documents from the meeting said: "Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act allows the highway network to be more effectively managed by the highway authority (KCC), allowing the civil enforcement of a variety of moving traffic contraventions in line with national standards."

The TMA aims to improve road safety, pollution levels and journey times by the use of the moving traffic enforcement (MTE) system.

A supporting document presented to members of the environment and Transport cabinet committee said the cameras should only be used to "target problem locations".

It added: "At any location where it is felt that compliance could be achieved through reasonable improvements to the highway or to traffic signing alone, such improvements should be made."

Cameras will be placed where contraventions happen regularly and MTE should only be used as a "last resort".

The document explained how the issuing of fines will work.

It said: "Once the ANPR camera has registered a contravention, the back-office system processes the information and identifies whether the vehicle is on an allowed list.

"This is a list of the registration plates of authorised vehicles, in which case no further action is taken.

"If the plate is not on the allowed list, the system sends the captured evidence for review. At this stage, a member of the team assesses the evidence to establish if a contravention has occurred.

"If it has, the case progresses to issue a warning notice or PCN. If the evidenceshows otherwise, for example, a car pulls into a bus lane to enable a policecar to pass, the case is cancelled and no further action is taken."