New data shows how much our council made in fines in the last two years
Bristol City Council slapped drives with over £9m of fines in the space of two years, new figures have revealed(Image: Copyright Unknown)
Bristol City Council hit drivers with over £9m in fines in the space of two years, new figures have revealed.
Figures released by Confused.com following a new Freedom of Information request have shown exactly how much councils across the UK have received following parking fines.
In total, Bristol City Council raked in £9,115,097 – and, with the average parking fine being £47, this means over 190,000 motorists were hit with fines.
These figures were nothing compared to those from Bath & North East Somerset Council who raked in almost £33m from PCN in the last two years.
Their total of £32,767,000 means around 697,000 people were caught out when it came to parking. The data also shows a total of 16 million Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued to UK drivers for parking offences since 2022.
Just last year alone, nearly six million PCNs were issued for parking offences, with the number rising year on year.
In a survey of 2,000 drivers, 27 per cent said they received fines as they were still parked in their space despite their parking ticket expiring. Another 20 per cent said they didn’t pay for parking at all while 16 per cent said they were on a yellow line.
Of those who appealed, a third claimed they were only late to their car by a couple of minutes and that therefore felt the fine was too high for that. Nearly 1 in 3 of those who appealed their parking PCN cited unclear parking signs as the reason.
Rhydian Jones, car insurance expert at Confused.com, said: “Just like many of our motoring bills, the cost of penalty charge notices (PCNs) is an extra strain on the pockets of drivers.
“Our research found that 3 in 5 (63%) drivers think parking signs should be made clearer to avoid confusion. That’s as nearly 1 in 3 (30%) who have appealed a parking ticket said it was because they felt the sign was unclear.
“If you’re unsure whether you can park in a space or not, don’t take the risk. You should consider parking elsewhere to avoid the risk of getting a fine, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
“And if you do receive a PCN fine, you might be able to challenge the decision if you think it was unfair. The process may vary depending on your local authority, so it’s important to check this before doing so.”
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “Where any vehicle is found to be parking illegally or dangerously, enforcement action may be taken by Bristol City Council officers.
“We consistently work with our partners in the police to enforce parking rules across the city and to dedicate extra resources where significant issues are identified.”