Over 11,000 fines were reportedly issued to motorists in just over a month, so much so that the council have had to revoke the fixed penalty notices.
Last year, a new bus gate was introduced to stop cars from turning off Vicar Lane and onto Lady Lane between the hours of 5am and 10pm to improve public transport access in the city centre.
A traffic enforcement camera was installed in October 2021 but didn't start issuing fines, just warning notices, until November.
The bus lane is between Lady Lane and Vicar Lane in Leeds city centre. / Image: Leeds City Council
Between 1 November and 9 December 2021, the council have conformed that 11,159 notices were issued. Out of this unprecedented number of fines, a whopping. 1,261 were appealed, just under 10% of the total number issued and £142,410 had been paid in fines by drivers.
As a result, the council have reconsidered the fixed penalty notices' and refund the costs of all penalty notices that have been paid to date, as well as allowing all appeals to be submitted and dismissing any further outstanding notices.
The issue was brought to the council's attention by Coun Conrad Hart-Brooke, who submitted a question to the council’s ruling Executive Board, asking: “How many bus lane camera tickets have been issued by the camera on Vicar Lane/Lady Lane since it went live last year?”
He went on to ask about further fines and policies and was given a written response stating the refunds of current and past fines, equating to a staggering £142,410.
The senior councillor that responded to Mr Hart-Brooke stated that the camera was placed to help aid the long-term strategy of improving the roads in the city centre for public transport. At present this only affects the traffic on Vicar Lane and Lady Lane, but it is proposed that the council should convert the stretch of Vicar Lane north of the Headrow into a two-way street to close traffic to New Briggate altogether.
This doesn't mean that the penalty notices will disappear altogether. The council acknowledge the current road marketing are not sufficient, although meeting minimum legal requirements, and new measures are going to be drawn up, with a view of implementing these changes as soon as possible.
It is thought the additional measures will include additional signing and carriageway markings.
Madre is one of those few restaurants that has been making us jealous of Manchester for years - but finally, it’s Leeds’ turn.
A couple of months after the launch of Salon Madre, a colourful pool hall and taqueria, it’s time for Leeds to welcome its sister restaurant.
Madre will open its doors on Wellington Place this week, promising to educate us all in the art of ‘sobremesa’, which means to linger at the table long after the meal is over.
And trust us, after popping in for a sneak peek today, you won’t be in a rush to leave this place.
The unit has been totally transformed by the Madre team - it’s all jagged angles on the tables and soft curves on the walls, with a colour palette that goes all the way from deep terracotta to neon green.
From an open kitchen you can see the team constructing tacos and piling oysters with jalapeño mignonette and salsa brava.
The menu is split neatly into four sections - snacks (elote, wings, Caesar salad and guac); raw (oysters, tuna tostadas, and aguachile); tacos (including birria); and parilla (wood-fired dishes like BBQ octopus and slow cooked lamb breast).
Click through the gallery below to see inside Madre Leeds
Madre LeedsA selection of the Madre Leeds menuDishes at Madre in LeedsMargaritas are a mustBeef birria tacosFire-roasted mushrooms with egg yolkMadre opens in Leeds this weekBone marrowMadre on Wellington PlaceOysters with salsa
Pull up a seat at a tile-topped table and you can expect to dig into everything from rich Oaxacan-inspired moles and salsas to Baja-style mariscos and Sonoran grilled meats.
Pop down on a Tuesday and you can take advantage of Madre’s two-for-one taco deal - we can’t really think of a better evening than tucking into dinner at Madre before heading across the road for happy hour margs and a game of pool at Salon Madre.
Madre is brought to the city by the teams behind London’s famous Breddos Tacos and esteemed Liverpudlian eatery Belzan.
The best record shops in and around Leeds for vinyl shopping and more
Daisy Jackson
We don't need much of an excuse to go shopping for vinyls and CDs - but World Record Store Day will do just fine.
Whether you've been an avid collector of vinyls and CDs or you've jumped on the band wagon this time round, there's nothing quite like grabbing yourself a new disc for your record player.
Leeds is absolutely packed with amazing independent record shops where you can browse for rare vinyls and pick up other collectors' items.
And that applies all year round - not just for World Record Store Day, which this year will fall on Saturday 18 April.
Here are our favourite places to go record shopping in and around Leeds.
Jumbo Records
1-3 Merrion Centre, Leeds city centre
Jumbo Records in Leeds. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Jumbo Records is an absolute record shop institution and has proudly stood in Leeds for more than 50 years.
Located inside the Merrion Centre, this huge music hub has every single type of music you can imagine and their wonderful staff are on hand to help you navigate around this treasure trove. Within their four walls you'll find endless new and old vinyls, CDs, books, magazines, cassettes, limited edition prints, tickets and loads more - whatever you can imagine, they have it.
Jumbo Records even holds live performances in-store. Remember when a few stages blew away at Leeds Fest? Well, Jumbo opened its doors to the likes of Wunderhorse so they could swing by and play a few songs. So basically what we're trying to say is Jumbo Records is goated and if you need anything music-related, this is where you need to be heading.
For Record Store Day 2026, they'll be open from 8am with 500+ releases, live music, and a pop-up bar.
Vinyl Whistle and Meanhood
Otley Road, Headingley
The Vinyl Whistle in Leeds. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Named after a love of both vinyl records and football, Vinyl Whistle is an indie record store that stocks new and old EPs, and has a coffee shop/ beer taps/live gig venue right in the middle of their store.
Owners Jim and Katie just expanded their offering even further too, launching Meanhood right beneath Vinyl Whistle with a mission to make DJing more accessible across Leeds.
This record store day, they'll have friends on the decks ALL DAY from 8am to 11pm.
Released Records
Corn Exchange, Leeds City Centre
You can also shop with them at Hyde Park Book ClubReleased Records in the Corn Exchange
Hidden away from the crowds inside Leeds Corn Exchange, Released Records offers an eclectic mix of new and pre-loved records. They're a dog-friendly store too, and they'll be offering all of the best World Record Store Day options to lucky shoppers too.
The owners are happy to talk all things music all day long and the brand even has its own label: The Lost Record.
You can shop their curated collections elsewhere in Leeds too - these guys are in charge of the vinyl collections at Hyde Park Book Club, and Outlaws Yacht Club.
One of our go-tos for vinyl shopping in Leeds has to be Crash Records, which is a true cornerstone of the Leeds music scene.
It's been around for 41 years this year, specialising in indie, alternative, rock, punk, and metal.
You'll find endless treasures hidden inside these walls, PLUS Crash Records is given an allocation for local gig tickets - and shopping with them is so much more exciting than just logging on to Ticketmaster.
Too Damn Loud
Kirkgate Market
This is one of the most long-standing businesses inside Kirkgate Market, operating since 1974 with a huge selection for music-lovers to browse through.
Peter, along with his wife, have run the store themselves for the past half-century - and during this time have made the transition from vinyls, to tapes and CD, and then back to vinyls again - plus you’ll find video tapes and DVDs in here too spanning across all genres and age groups.
The name came from the owner’s original neighbour complaining that the store was ‘Too Damn Loud’ - and it’s stuck ever since.
Plant & Deck
Upstairs in The Doghouse, 93 Kirkgate
Where do you go when you want to buy vines and vinyls these days? The answer is obviously Plant and Deck in its new home.
Head upstairs (and upstairs again) in Doghouse and you'll find this haven for vinyl records and house plants.
With those amazing vaulted ceilings and wood beams, and vinyls spinning all day long, this jungle of electronic music looks as good as it sounds.
Holding Patterns
2A Albion Place
Holding Patterns is a bar in Leeds that sounds as good as it looks.
From a vinyl listening station to a state-of-the-art sound system, and with vinyl DJs and selectors blessing your ears in the evenings, this is where to bring all the music-lovers in your life.
There’s a concise list of gorgeous cocktails, natural wines, crafts beers and delicious coffees too.
Tribe Records in Leeds is a renowned independent vinyl shop specialising in electronic music, including house, techno, electro, reggae, and dub.
Reopened in 2020 after a hiatus, it acts as a vital community hub run by Simon Scott, supplying new/used records, and supporting local DJs with expert advice.
North South Vintage
Headingley Lane, Headingley / Hyde Park Corner
For those solely interested in shopping for second-hand treasures, North South Vintage (formerly Vintage Boutique) is an unmissable stop.
Located right in the heart of studentsville spaces between Hyde Park and Headingley, this vintage store has plenty of hidden diamonds in the rough, just waiting to be uncovered.
Expect a huge array of 70s and 80s bangers, as well as contemporary house mixes amongst old football scarves, retro Nikes and an impressive collection of classic novels.
Sophie Smith -
26th January 2022 
