Car accident- who is liable?

(How can I upload an image?  I have edited a google earth image to clarify the situation but the only attachment option this forum has is "enter URL".  Is there any way I can upload an image as it will be really difficult for anybody to understand the incident).

Until I can upload I will (try to) keep it simple;

I was in the inside lane (right hand lane) of a two lane carriageway.

Both lanes were full with rush hour traffic.  Therefore I could not see any markings on the road as it was crawling traffic and I was behind a bus that would cover any noticeable markings.

I was approaching the traffic lights that govern a 4 way junction.

As I moved toward the traffic lights there were no lane priority signs, such as "no right turns/ bus lane only" etc so I assumed that like all other 2 lane carriageways in this area that both lanes can drive in a forward direction through the lights onto the facing 2 lane carriageway (the facing carriageway was definitely marked for 2 lanes- so it seemed obvious that 2 lanes of cars would be able to go straight onto it).

The vehicles in front of me all went through the lights and it went red on me, so I would be the first to go through the lights once they turned back to green.

As I drove forward the car the to the left of me turned in front of me- they were doing a right turn thus going across my path.

Subsequently I bumped into the driver from the left lane.  The front left corner of my car hit their back right side.

Having spoken to the person I hit they told me that the lane I was in was right turn only, so I was not permitted to travel in the forward direction.  The reason for this is that the carriageway I was looking to drive straight on to is less than a year old, so the lane priorities have remained the same as they were before this carriageway was built (i.e left and right were the only directions one would have been able to go).  Therefore the driver to the left of me was justified in turning right from the left lane.

I returned later when the road was emptier to look at the road markings and this information is correct; the right lane is right turn only, and I had gone straight on.  There is only one road marking that tells me this, as stated earlier there are no signs at the junction that strictly prohibit the inside lane moving forward, nor are there any signs on the opposing carriageway that there is no-entry for inside lane traffic.

(This all sounds crystal clear to me but is probably incomprehensible to the reader, so apologies to any that are completely non-plussed)

My basic questions are;

i) Though I was in the wrong am I entirely liable for the collision? 

I would believe that I am liable but I remember a collision I once witnessed whereby a vehicle (I will refer to this as "vehicle 1") was interupted when going through an amber light, so by the time they reached the opposite carriageway they were effectively travelling on red, so a Vehicle 2 in a filter lane had started to move.  Vehicle 1 hit into Vehicle 2 and the policeman at the scene  believed that it was vehicle 2's fault, despite vehicle 1 running through when they should have stopped.

ii) Would I have a case against the council for failing to notify road users of the unusual lane priorities?  I have spoken to numerous people who are also perplexed by the way this junction works.  The person I hit told me its one of those roads that the local road users have no problem navigating as they know, but it often causes near collisions with people that are unfamiliar with the area.

I am confident that the majority of drivers would have made the same mistake as me in the conditions of when this incident happened; it was hammering it down (got to love British summers).

I can email the google earth view if anybody has the time to have a look.  Any replies are greatly appreciated.