Sheffield Council is to apply to the Government for new traffic enforcement powers to stop drivers making illegal manoeuvres.

The council is bidding for new powers related to ‘moving traffic offences' such as driving through a ‘No Entry' sign or entering yellow box junctions when the exit is not clear.

At the moment, these rules can only be enforced by the police so the council hopes the move would improve road safety and tackle congestion across the city.

It is proposed the powers would be used in three separate sites across the city, using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to identify drivers that break the law.

The council already has some similar powers, such as the enforcement of bus, taxi and tram gates.

A public consultation on the proposals will run for seven weeks until 31 December 2022.

ADEPT president Mark Kemp recently cited the need for individual councils to consult on proposals to take on enforcement powers for moving traffic offences before applying to the Government as an example of 'bureaucratic hoops that we jump through to get permission to do things could perhaps be relaxed'.

This article first appeared on localgov.co.uk.