Rotherham Council is installing automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras at five ‘key sites' under new powers to enforce moving traffic offences.

The highway authority said the cameras will allow enforcement against drivers who are putting themselves and others at risk by driving through pedestrian zones and making other illegal manoeuvres.

It said motorists have ignored restrictions at the sites for a number of years, with police officers previously needed on site to catch offenders.

The enforcement powers under Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act (2004) were not available to English councils outside London until 2022, when the previous government invited authorities to apply on a case by case basis, before freezing the rollout to new authorities earlier this year.

Rotherham MBC leader Chris Read said: ‘One of the council's key priorities is to keep people safe, healthy and well and these new traffic cameras will improve road safety by ensuring that more motorists follow long-standing traffic rules, helping to keep pedestrian areas and junctions working properly for everyone.

‘When drivers ignore traffic signs they often become a danger to pedestrians and their fellow road users. These cameras will ensure more motorists follow the restrictions and use our roads safely and responsibly.'

The cameras will be introduced in phases, with two locations in the town centre and one in Catcliffe going live this week and two cameras at the Clifton Lane crossroads expected to go live later this year.

The council said there will be a short grace period before penalty charge notices are issued, during which warning letters will be sent to first-time offenders.

It pointed out that two areas in Rotherham Town Centre where the cameras are being used – High Street (pictured) and Bridgegate – are pedestrianised areas with no access for motorised vehicles except permit holders between 10am and 4pm.

It said the ‘long-standing issue' of motorists driving down these streets posing a danger to pedestrians has frequently been reported by businesses and residents.

The council's approach is in stark contrast to that of Norfolk County Council, which last year scrapped a ban on cars using a street in the centre of Norwich, largely on the grounds that large numbers of drivers were ignoring the restriction.