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A motorist has beaten a council in a court battle over an illegal 'No Entry' sign which has been tricking motorists for 30 years.

Eddie Mustoe, 54, was stopped by police after driving through the sign and given a £60 fine with three penalty points.

But instead of accepting the penalty he researched road signs and proved the one in question at a busy junction in Bristol was illegal.

It consists of a grey rectangle with the standard circular red and white no entry sign above the words 'Except buses, coaches, taxis and cyclists' in black and white.

Eddie discovered that by law no entry signs at the entrance to roads where some vehicles are allowed should be designed differently.

They should show a box with the word 'except:' followed by images of the vehicles allowed such as a bus and bicycle and the word 'taxi'.

Eddie, a motor trader, argued the sign was ambiguous and refused to give way over the fine, telling Bristol City Council they were in the wrong.

Read more:Is this the most pointless road sign in the UK? Motorists slam 'joke' speed limit warning

They insisted the sign was legal and the row went to court and Eddie has now won his case after a nine-month battle.

The dad-of-three was cleared of one count of failing to comply with a lawfully placed road sign by magistrates in Yate, South Glos., last Thursday.

The case has cost him more than £3,000 to stand his ground but Eddie has been told he can reclaim around two thirds of that from the council.

The council continue to insist that the sign is "clear in intention" and have not yet said whether it will be taken down from the junction at Stapleton Road in the Easton area.

Eddie said: "Although it cost a lot, I was determined to fight the case, whatever the cost and even though it has taken the best part of 12 months, it has been worth it.

"I think places like this are used as cash cows and so I will be talking to the council to get the signage changed or it getting made into a proper bus lane."

Read more:Road sign is stolen every two months because of its rude name - and locals are sick of it

He added: "I was stuck in the lane not knowing what to do and I could not reverse, so I had to drive down it.

"The police followed me and pulled me over and when I looked at the sign I thought it was like no other I had seen before and so it just did not make sense to me."

Solicitor Marcus Lavell, who fought his case, said the sign will have caught out thousands of motorists since being put up in the 1980s.

He said the landmark ruling could open the floodgates to other drivers who have been wrongly fined in the past to take action against the council.

Mr Lavell said: "Placing signs on or near the highway is strictly controlled and can only be done in line with the relevant regulations.

"Given the duration of the sign's use and the fact that this is a major junction in the centre of Bristol I would have thought several thousand motorists would have been caught over the years.

"Placing an illegal road sign near the highway could expose Bristol City Council in its position as highway authority to liability."

Eddie was cleared of the charge after magistrates found that the Stapleton Road sign did not conform with regulations set out in the Traffic Signs Manual.

Avon and Somerset police said no motorists had been issued tickets by them for contravening the sign in the past 12 months.

A force spokesman said: "It is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure that all signage on our roads is correct and in accordance with national guidance.

"Our role is to enforce it. We have made Bristol City Council aware of the outcome of this case with a view to them reviewing the signage as soon as possible."

Bristol City Council said: "We feel that the existing signs are clear in their intention, but we will look to make changes in order to ensure that the arrangement is fully enforceable in the future.

"We are currently investigating the best way to modify the signage to achieve this.

"We no longer have a record of the authorisation as the movement restrictions at this junction were introduced more than 30 years ago.

"The enforcement of moving traffic offences is a police matter."