Police clamping down on drivers illegally using bus lanes fined 167 motorists in one day.

The blitz, on Keighley Road in Bradford, also saw 20 people being given verbal warnings and three arrested for public order offences.

It was carried out after bus company Keighley & District Travel complained its services were constantly delayed as they travelled between Bradford and Keighley.

The firm's communications manager Graham Mitchell said the situation had got so bad that a journey from Oak Lane to Emm Lane in Manningham, which should take about two and a half minutes, was taking between nine and ten minutes.

He said he was pleased that the 167 drivers had been issued with £30 fixed penalty notices for travelling in the bus lane between 4pm and 6pm.

Mr Mitchell said most car drivers said they would use buses if they were fast and frequent.

"But this can only be achieved if there is a partnership between the bus company and the road traffic infrastructure."

He said they had tried to help customers by providing accessible, low-floor buses and making them as punctual as possible.

"It seems entirely reasonable we should be able to use our own designated bus lanes.

"To find bus lanes clogged up with cars is intensely frustrating."

He said if they were prevented from providing a punctual service, it was letting customers down.

Mr Mitchell said he was pleased with the police action - which seemed to have been a deterrent - and said he would like to see more monitoring of bus lanes.

"It is a lot easier to get down Manningham Lane now."

Community Safety Officer Sergeant Paul Hepworth, of Bradford North Police, said: "I am saddened that there are so many people who have a complete disregard for road traffic law.

"All the people that we have spoken to were given fixed penalty notices and were also reminded about the law with regard to bus lanes.

"This is not a one-off project - it is an ongoing effort and regular spot checks will be made and people who break the law will be issued with fixed penalty notices."

Keighley and District Travel's buses are fitted with four CCTV cameras which record the registration plates of those illegally using bus lanes.

The video footage was shown to the police before the clampdown to highlight the problem.