Published: 06:33 AEDT, 27 November 2024 | Updated: 07:30 AEDT, 27 November 2024
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Motorists are being hit with a record 41,000 parking tickets a day - despite repeated Government promises to crackdown on ‘bandit’ operators.
Shocking figures reveal ruthless private companies issued 3.8million tickets to drivers between July and September - or one every two seconds on average.
A further 3.4million were issued between April and June this year, according to official figures.
It means the parking firms are on track to issue demands for up to £1.5billion in fines this year (2024/25) as the number slapped on drivers is on course to hit a record 14.6million.
This would be up from the record 12.8million issued last year (2023/24) and 11.1million in 2022/23.
And the figures apply only to car parks run by private firms, not councils.
Ministers tonight faced renewed calls to get tough on cut-throat firms causing misery for millions of motorists with their army of traffic wardens amid the cost of living squeeze.
It comes after the previous Tory Government withdrew a long-awaited code of practice aimed at protecting drivers from ‘cowboy’ operators. Former ministers caved in after parking firms launched a judicial review of the proposals, which included slashing the maximum fines from £100 to £50 and banning debt collectors from hounding motorists who do not pay within a time limit.
Motorists are being hit with a record 41,000 parking tickets a day - despite repeated Government promises to crackdown on ‘bandit’ operators (stock image)
Shocking figures reveal ruthless private companies issued 3.8million tickets to drivers between July and September - or one every two seconds on average. A further 3.4million were issued between April and June this year, according to official figures
The number of tickets issued for the second quarter of this year (2024/25) has more than doubled since 2018, when 1.7million were doled out during the same period.
If this year’s increase continues at the same rate, it will reach a record high of nearly 14.6million tickets issued in 2024/25 - 1.8million more than the current record high of 12.8million in 2023/24.
With fines capped at £100, private firms are on course to issue demands for up to nearly £1.5billion worth of fines this year.
Motorists have been waiting years for a Government-devised code of practice to crackdown on cut-throat private parking firms, amid complaints of bad practices such as deliberately poor signage and not allowing grace periods if motorists don’t return to their cars in time through no fault of their own.
A Bill to enable the introduction of a new code of conduct received royal assent in March 2019.
But the code was withdrawn by the Conservative government in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies.
In June, industry bodies the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community published their own code of practice.
It included requirements for consistent signage, a single set of rules for operators on private land and an ‘appeals charter’.
But motoring groups criticised it for not including a cap on fines or the removal of debt recovery fees.
It means parking firms look set to rake in bumper profits from fines on motorists for some time.
AA president Edmund King said: ‘When we managed to get cowboy clampers outlawed, we warned that some of the unscrupulous clampers would enter the private parking territory, and this has been proved right.
‘We accept drivers should never park when they like, and where they like, but far too often cowboy enforcement companies act like Dick Turpin. Better regulation to outlaw some of these bandits is long overdue.’
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is also the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. A spokesperson for the ministry said: ‘Motorists must be protected when using private car parks and we are determined to drive up standards in the industry
RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding added: ‘Private parking is clearly one sector of the economy which appears to be booming but at the expense of millions of motorists each year.
‘These numbers suggest that big questions remain about the way the current system is working - or failing.
‘Drivers must be very wary of where they leave their vehicles as they head out to do their Christmas shopping because these numbers suggest that even the smallest indiscretion is likely to lead to a fine which will erase any sense of festive cheer.
‘If ministers wanted to give motorists a Christmas present they should crack on with implementing the long-promised reforms to parking management which have now been on the statute book for more than five years.’
The figures were based on the number of records obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) by companies chasing vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas.
Some 172 parking firms requested access to documents, with ParkingEye the most active between July and September - buying 594,000 records.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 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.’
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
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