Motorists are constantly faced with hidden driving laws which could leave you out of pocket, with parking fines being the main offende – here’s the list of the worst offending councils
Motorists paid out a record amount in parking fines to councils last year with more than 1,000 tickets issued every hour.
Councils raked in £620million from the fees – mostly from drivers who had left vehicles on the roads without paying. As the fines average at £60, it means more than 10million tickets were issued last year – up 6% on the previous year. Councillor Adam Hug, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “Motorists can avoid fines by ensuring they observe parking and traffic rules that are only there to help all drivers get around and find parking safely, smoothly and fairly.”
It appears Christmas is a time for fining, as it turns out drivers could land themselves a hefty fine for breaking some little-known rules when driving home for Christmas. Offenders could be forced to fork out an eye-watering £17,500 in fines if other rules are broken.
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These include playing music too loudly, wearing a Christmas outfit that interferes with your driving and not deicing enough of your car. Cinch’s motoring editor, Sam Sheehan, explains: “There’s nothing wrong with driving to music as long as you can still hear hazards like horns and sirens if you need to.”
However, parking fines seem to be a lot more common. The top 10 councils for parking ticket income were all in the capital with Lambeth raking in the largest total of £52.4million. Outside London, Brighton and Hove saw the biggest amount raised, with many day-trippers leaving the resort with a ticket.
Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Portsmouth were all in the top 10 of councils elsewhere for the amount brought in from parking fines.
London Councils parking ticket revenue in 2023/24:
Lambeth £52.4m Westminster £40.6m Hammersmith & Fulham £26.2m Ealing £25.3m Islington £24.0m Haringey £20.3m Newham £20.0m Southwark £18.0m Merton £17.9m Camden £17.1m
Non London Councils parking revenue in 2023/24:
Brighton & Hove £12.2m Portsmouth £9.6m Manchester £8.5m Leeds £7.3m East Sussex £6.4 Essex £6.4 Liverpool £4.5 Leicester City £4.2 Lincolnshire £3.9 Bristol £3.4
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