Millions raised by one CCTV camera on Britain's most confusing road

Motorists have been fined an astonishing £5 million for driving down a quiet, residential street which has been dubbed 'Britain's most baffling road.'

More than 41,000 drivers have been hit with penalties after the council put up nine signs and a CCTV camera.

Most of the confusion stems from a rule that bans motorists from driving one way down the street in the morning and then from going in the opposite direction in the afternoon.

Until five years ago, access to Grafton Road in Kentish Town was restricted by a hydraulic bollard and traffic lights that showed either red or green depending on the position of the board.

In 2006, the council lowered the bollard and introduced signs and a bollard to capture breaches.

Drivers now face nine signs, a set of defunct traffic lights and the sunken bollard. The mouth of the road has been divided into three sections with a central section blocked off and accessible only by emergency vehicles, with lanes for cars either side.

Two pairs of signs warn cars and motorbikes of restrictions to their passing, there are two no-entry signs applying to the lane on the other side of the road, one width-restriction sign, one cycle sign and a traffic camera sign.

Figures show that around 800 confused motorists a month are caught out by the camera.

Parking campaigner Paul Pearson told the Daily Mail: 'It's absolutely staggering. This is highway robbery. It's one of the most profitable cameras in the country – and it's in a residential street.

'This is a clear case of using cameras to raise revenue for a cash-strapped Town Hall.'

A Camden Council spokesman said: 'The signs stating the restrictions are clear to motorists.'

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