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Thousands of motorists fined for driving in bus lanes could receive refunds after a council admitted issuing more than 20,000 penalty notices too late.

Manchester City Council said 23,500 fines issued around the city between 2 October and 16 December were delayed due to an "administrative error".

By law penalty charge notices must arrive within 28 days of the offence.

The council said the matter was "extremely unsatisfactory".

However, a spokesman said it would be wrong to assume all the fines would be waived and the real figure would be "considerably lower", due to "a significant proportion of cases where extensions apply".

Exemptions can apply in cases where the the driver's details take longer to be traced. The legal requirement in those cases is six months.

The council said it was not possible to establish the true figure without going through each case individually.

Kim Dorrington, the council's strategic director of highways, said: "We would stress that most of the notices issued during this period were in time and that anyone who has paid has admitted liability.

"But we want to be fair and proportionate. If people believe they received a notice which was posted too late they can write us and we will review their fines, on a case by case basis."

Bus lane fines start at £30 for those paid within 14 days, increasing to £60 after 14 days and £90 if not paid within 28 days.

The council said the error emerged following an internal review.

In February it was reported almost 1,000 motorists per day had been fined in just five months for driving along bus lanes in the city's Oxford Road.