Councils take £1.5m in 2 years in penalty charges on drivers

COUNCILS across North Wales have pocketed more than £1.5 million in penalty charge notices over the space of two years.

Figures just released show that the local authorities in Anglesey, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd and Wrexham have made £1,641,522.91 during 2017 and 2018 through giving 50,546 penalty charge notices (PCN) to motorists.

The figures came to light through a Freedom of Information request made by Confused. com.

They include fines for offences such as parking, misusing a bus lane or box junction, or turning right illegally.

Gwynedd issued the highest

number of fines, bringing in £352,663.22 in 2017, and £347,194.70 in 2018.

On the Easter weekend this year, it handed out £8,000 worth of fines to motorists parking on the A498 at Pen y Pass and Pen y Gwryd.

Anglesey gave out the fewest fines, with the council making £45,416 in 2017 and £30,896.56 in 2018.

Figures for Conwy reportedly unavailable.

A Gwynedd council spokesperson said: “The council’s parking enforcement arrangements aim to maintain a safe and sustainable transport system by improving road safety and reducing congestion problems, with officers concentrating on the busiest locations in the county and where it is considered that there is most risk for vulnerable road users.

“Penalty Charge Notices are only issued when there is clear evidence that a motorist has parked in contravention of regulations.

“Any individual who believes were that a Penalty Charge Notice has been wrongly issued can challenge the matter by following the advice on the back of the Penalty Charge Notice.”

New research finds that not all drivers think fines are issued fairly with evidence suggesting that most appeals were successful.

According to the research, 48% of UK drivers have received a PCN, of whom 40% appealed the decision.

And 74% of the appeals resulted in the motorists concerned paying a reduced fine, or nothing at all, which may go to show that not all fines are issued fairly and drivers are being asked to pay fines they may not be accountable for.