A DRIVER who got caught out by the bus lane near the Designer Outlet while visiting Swindon has vowed never to spend any of his money in the town again.

Gareth Lewis popped over the border from Wales with his wife to drop off his son, who is starting a work placement here.

With an hour of free time, the couple decided to go the Designer Outlet and turned into the west car park.

Two weeks later, Gareth was shocked to see a £30 fine arrive through the letterbox.

He said: “It was my first time in Swindon, I followed the sat-nav, saw the car park and turned left to go a couple hundred yards to the entrance, not knowing what I’d really done.

“I realise there are a couple of signs and I know now that I did wrong, I accept that, but they should be made clearer.

“The outlet’s signs are much bigger and more noticeable. Besides, I was focusing on the traffic lights and the pedestrians crossing nearby.

“This penalty sticks in the throat. We would like to spend a bit of money in the town when we visit our son in Swindon in future but I won’t spend another penny in any pubs, restaurants or shops there again.

“I’m not the only visitor who got caught out and surely that means it needs to change? It would make people think twice about visiting Swindon again.”

Last year, the Adver revealed that the bus lane raked in more than £2.5 million for the borough council in five years, with thousands from Swindon and further afield driving down the stretch of tarmac reserved for public transport.

This total became known after another family, Helen and Robert Harrold, drove into the bus lane then sent a freedom of information request to the council asking how many fines it had issued.

The fines are £60, although a discount of £30 is offered for payment within two weeks.

An extra penalty is added for late payment, bumping the total to £90.

A borough council spokesman said: “The Penzance Drive bus gate is there to help improve bus journey times to and from West Swindon, it is not there to trap motorists.

“Any money received through the bus gate fines is spent on highways and transport-related projects.

“It is true that motorists are caught illegally driving into the junction each year, but that does not mean there is anything wrong with the signage or the bus gate itself.

“Lots of people visit Swindon Designer Outlet each year and the vast majority have no problem adhering to the regulations.

“There are more than a dozen signs in place on the approaches to the bus gate as well as highly visible road markings in the area which should act as a further deterrent to motorists.

“All the warning signs exceed the appropriate regulations for visibility and frequency.

“Any drivers who wish to challenge why they were ticketed can use the well-established and independent appeals process.”