Drivers who flout city centre driving bans will be prosecuted from June when the law changes.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has told Oxfordshire County Council it will be able to fine those who drive illegally into the city via St Aldate's and High Street, using the latest CCTV technology.

The streets have been closed to private vehicles from 7.30am to 6.30pm every day for the past five years as part of the Oxford Transport Strategy (OTS).

But drivers flout the restriction daily, adding to city centre congestion and pollution.

A camera installed at the bus gate in High Street has never been used to prosecute drivers.

A legal loophole in the Transport Management Act 2004 means the county council cannot use photographs in prosecutions.

But county councillor David Robertson, executive member for transport, said he had it on "good authority from high up" at the DfT the law will change by the summer.

He said: "They have come out and said this will happen in June. It should go a long way to freeing up the traffic in the city centre. I will be very disappointed if it doesn't.

"We have been waiting for the legislation to change, but in the meantime the police have been checking motorists randomly."

Oxford police have set up random roadside checks and issued fixed penalties to 69 drivers in the past two months.

In October, Oxford Bus Company commercial director Nigel Eggleton complained buses were being held up because half the traffic was flouting the ban.

Mr Eggleton said: "The situation may have improved slightly, but we have not had the opportunity to carry out another survey.

"The anecdotal evidence from our drivers is that the situation improves around the time the police carry out patrols, but then things just revert to the norm, which is that some drivers still flout the ban.

"We look forward to the new legislation being in place as soon as possible."