Protesters have delayed the start of work to install a bus gate that would block traffic from using a downtown bridge.

Cambridgeshire County Council said work was due to begin on Mill Road, Cambridge, on November 11but the entrepreneurs could not begin.

The council said automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras had been vandalized and no criminal damage would be tolerated.

“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but the safety of our staff and the welfare of other road users is paramount,” he said.

A BBC journalist at the scene on Wednesday evening said around 60 protesters were present and had prevented any work from taking place for the third night in a row.

He described the protest as peaceful, but said the contractors removed the bollards from the road and left the scene around 19:15 GMT.

The council said any interference with the equipment could be reported to the police.

“We urge those who wish to protest to do so peacefully and not interfere with the works, as this could pose a risk to the workforce and other road users,” he added .

The council initially said work to introduce the bus gate lasts until November 25 with nighttime closures between 7:00 p.m. and 06:00 GMT.

The decision to introduce the project was agreed at a special meeting of the highways and transport committee in October.

Most vehicles, including passenger cars, would be prohibited from accessing the bridge.

A local campaign group had previously challenged the authority when it wanted to introduce restrictions and argued that fines which would apply to using the bridge would create traffic elsewhere.

In August the council abandoned legal battle with local campaign group, Friends of Mill Road Bridge.

Earlier, Pamela Wesson, president of Friends of the Mill Road Bridge, said on Facebook that the battle was like “a David versus Goliath fight.”

She said the group’s legal challenge included the allegation that the board had “made an error of fact as to how the decision affected people with disabilities.”