Private parking fines hit record high as companies cash in on wayward motorists

Some 15.9 million parking tickets were handed out by private businesses in the year to the end of September, according to analysis of Government data.

That is up 17 per cent from 13.6 million during the previous 12 months.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the increases demonstrate that something must be going badly awry" with the parking system, as the majority of motorists "try very hard" to avoid tickets.

Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total cost to drivers may be almost £4.4 million per day at the current rate.

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Private parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees.

Many drivers have been sent tickets they claim are unfair because of the way some payment machines operate.

A Bill to enable the introduction of a code of practice for the industry received royal assent in March 2019.

This code, due to come into force across Britain by the end of 2023, included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, creating a fairer appeals system, and banning the use of aggressive language on tickets.

But it was withdrawn by the Conservative government in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies.

A new consultation on the code by the current Labour Government closed in September.

The analysis of parking tickets was based on the number of records obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) by companies chasing UK vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas.

They do not include council-run car parks.

Mr Williams said: "The rate of tickets being issued by the private parking industry has hit yet another record.

"While part of the rise may be due to more car parks being privately managed, the figures show 48,000 tickets per day were issued between June and September, which seems ominously high considering most people try very hard to avoid getting a private parking notice.

"This is why we fear something must be going badly awry and why the outcome of the latest Private Parking Code of Practice consultation can't come soon enough.

"Drivers need to know they're being treated fairly whenever they use a private car park."

Some 188 parking management businesses requested vehicle owner records in the three months to the end of September.

ParkingEye was the most active, buying 643,000 records.

The DVLA charges private companies £2.50 per record.

The agency says its fees recover the cost of providing the information and it does not make any money from the process.

In June last year, industry bodies the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community published their own joint code of practice.

It included requirements for consistent signage, a single set of rules for operators on private land and an "appeals charter".

Motoring groups criticised it for not including features such as a cap on charges or the removal of debt recovery fees.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "Motorists must be protected when using private car parks and we are determined to drive up standards in the industry.

"We know how much of an issue this is for drivers, which is why we will set out further details on the private parking code of practice as soon as possible."

A BPA spokesperson said its analysis "consistently shows" that the total for requests of vehicle owner records "closely tracks with the number of private car parks coming under management".

He went on: "With parking demand often outstripping supply, proper management is essential to ensure that decent motorists don't suffer from the selfish behaviour of others.

"With more parking spaces being managed properly, decent motorists up and down the country benefit from better access to parking spaces every day.

"An increase in well-managed sites is a net benefit overall to the majority decent motorists and local communities, not a detriment."