A mother has raged at a “con” bus lane that fined both her and her daughter on their first visit to Swindon.

Samantha Bradley vowed never to return, saying the unexpected charge ruined her trip and undid any Outlet bargains she found.

She is one of many charged at the notorious spot with 14,541 penalty charge notices being issued there in one year - 40 a day.

Samantha, 60, fumed: “It was obviously a trap. I just felt absolutely conned. I got done when I left the west car park. She got done when she came in the north one.(Image: Thomas Kelsey)

“They advertise it as cheap parking, but it’s not cheap if they’re catching everyone when they leave, is it?”

The mother met her 21-year-old daughter at the Outlet as a handy halfway point between Bath and Buckinghamshire.

They spent a “considerable amount” shopping, but days later discovered they had made an extra, unintended purchase from Swindon Borough Council.

The bus lane fine starts from £35 if paid before a deadline, after which it increases.(Image: Dave Cox)

However, she said: “The money is not the point. The point is you feel there’s an absolute con going on there.

“We spent quite a lot of money at the Outlet. And as my daughter said, I haven’t saved any money because I spent it all on this fine. She’s only 21.

“She's got some good bargains in Nike, but it's certainly not worth it when you've added 30 or 40 pounds on there.”

She said the fact her daughter - who is a “very good driver and very observant” - was fined is evidence of the insufficient signage.

The Bucks resident added: “When you leave, it looks like there's only one route to leave. You can see from the picture on the ticket, I was following behind another car - so I wasn’t the only one.”

14,541 fines were issued from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023, at the spot - equalling over half a million pounds if each were paid immediately.

The council raked in £2.5 million in total from the bus lane in the five years preceding 2020.

A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said :“We appreciate that some visitors to Swindon Designer Outlet will be unfamiliar with the local area, but this bus gate has plenty of warning signs on either approach.

“It is not there to trap people and is in place to help public transport work efficiently in this area. Drivers who wish to challenge any fines that have been issued to them can use the well-established and independent appeals process.”

Samantha said the experience meant she would “absolutely not” return to Swindon.

She said: “We're not going to bother going there again. I wouldn’t risk it. It’s ridiculous!”

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