Parking panic: UK drivers blitzed with tickets as firms rack up £100m daily

Confusing signs, debt threats, and £100 fines – are private parking companies exploiting drivers?

UK drivers are being hit with a total average of nearly 36,000 parking tickets a day by private companies, figures show. PA

UK motorists are experiencing a sharp increase in parking tickets from private companies, with figures revealing an average of nearly 36,000 tickets issued daily.

More than 3.3 million tickets were handed out between July and September, data analysis by PA news agency and RAC Foundation shows.

That is a 16 per cent rise from the 2.9 million during the same period last year, equating to a record daily average of 35,960 tickets.

The cost for each ticket can reach up to £100 ($127), potentially costing drivers about £3.6 million daily.

Criticisms have emerged against private parking companies for their use of ambiguous signs, aggressive debt collection and exorbitant fees.

Efforts to clear these issues included a proposed code of practice, scheduled for implementation after parliamentary approval in March 2019.

But the introduction of the code, which suggested halving the ticket cap to £50 for certain offences, was postponed due to legal challenges by parking companies.

“We will all be hoping for good things in 2024 but perhaps those most looking forward to a happy new year are the large band of parking companies operating on private land,” said RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding.

Mr Gooding expressed frustration over the delay in enacting the government-backed parking code of practice and an independent appeals service, which have been pending for five years.

A representative for the British Parking Association defended the role of enforcement in parking management.

“Motorists overwhelmingly benefit from well-managed and maintained car parks, ensuring easier journeys and better parking experiences,” the representative said.

This analysis comes from records obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency by companies pursuing vehicle owners for breaches in private car parks, excluding council-run centres.

In the recent three-month period, 178 parking management businesses requested vehicle owner records, with ParkingEye leading the charge by acquiring 573,000 records.

The DVLA, which charges £2.50 a record, asserts that its fees solely cover the cost of providing this information and do not generate profit.