British drivers were handed a record 8.6 million parking tickets by private companies in just 12 months. The rate of tickets being issued reached an average of 23,000 every day between April 2021 and March 2022, analysis of DVLA data by the PA news agency found – an increase of more than 50% compared with four years earlier.
Last month, the Government withdrew a long-awaited code of practice aimed at eradicating some of the sector’s worst actions following a legal challenge by parking companies. Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said the “eye-watering” number of tickets being handed out demonstrated the need for ministers to “stick to their guns”.
The figures represent the number of times companies obtained records from the DVLA to chase car owners for alleged infringements in private car parks such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas. Parking ticket breaches can cost drivers up to £100.
