Number of private parking tickets soars

DRIVERS were hit by a 50% increase in the number of parking tickets issued by private companies in just 12 months.

A record 2.7 million tickets were handed out between April and June, analysis of the Swansea-based Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data by the PA news agency found.

That is an average of nearly 30,000 every day and is up from a total of 1.8 million during the same period last year.

Motoring research charity the RAC Foundation claimed it is “inconceivable” that so many drivers are intentionally breaking parking rules.

In July, the UK 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.

The DVLA figures show the number of records obtained from the agency by companies chasing car owners for alleged infringements in private car parks such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas.

Tickets can cost drivers up to £100.

Private parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signage, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said the private car park management sector is “booming”.

“Three-and-a-half years after they were legislated for, the Government still isn’t using the powers allowed under the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 to transform the world of private parking and make it a much fairer place,” he said.

“It remains inconceivable that, annually, millions of motorists are setting out to run up these tickets of up to £100 each, especially when household budgets are so tight.

“This latest data is a sign of a system that is broken. We hope the new ministerial team in charge of this part of public policy will tackle it with renewed vigour.”

The code of practice, which was due to come into force across Britain by the end of next year, stated that the cap on tickets for some parking offences should be halved to £50. The withdrawal pending a review of charges could lead to a further delay in its implementation.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “We recognise there have been unacceptable practices by a small number of cowboy companies. We will introduce our Private Parking Code of Practice as soon as possible to help tackle this issue and protect motorists.”

Some 176 parking management businesses requested vehicle owner records between April and June, up from 151 during the previous 12 months.

Parkingeye was the most active, buying 521,000 records.

The DVLA charges private companies £2.50 per record.

The agency says its fees are set to recover the cost of providing the information, and it does not make any money from the process.

■ Here are the number of vehicle keeper records obtained from the DVLA by parking management companies between April and June in every year since 2017:

■ 2017: 1.3 million

■ 2018: 1.5 million

■ 2019: 2.1 million

■ 2020: 0.5 million (affected by coronavirus lockdowns)

■ 2021: 1.8 million

■ 2022: 2.7 million