Drivers hounded for parking fines after DVLA sells vehicle details

PRIVATE parking firms have bought details of more than 1.7million vehicles in three months to hound drivers for fines.

Newly published figures reveal that the number of requests for motorists’ information for alleged infringements in private car parks rose by 70 per cent between April and June. Parking companies use the information to chase vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, sending penalty charges often worth up to £100.

The firms have been helped by the DVLA, which makes more than £1.4million a month from selling motorists’ information to firms for £2.50 a vehicle.

The RAC Foundation warned that private parking has become an “industry” with motorists being pursued and issued with tickets on “dubious” grounds. Sir Greg Knight, a Tory MP, has tabled a Bill to end self-regulation of the private parking industry and introduce a code of practice.

The data by the DVLA revealed that it shared 1.74million records with private parking firms in the first quarter of the 2017-18 financial year, compared with 1.06million last year. If the data was replicated across the remaining three quarters then the annual total would be seven million, up from 4.7 million in 2016-17. With the data suggesting that tickets are being issued every 4.5 seconds, motoring research charity the RAC Foundation welcomed the Bill tabled to crack down on the private parking industry.

Sir Greg’s private member’s Bill – which would lead to the introduction of a code of conduct for private car park operators – had its first reading in the House of Commons last week.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “These figures suggest almost a quarter of car owners are being pursued each year for penalty charges by private parking companies who all too often have pound signs before their eyes. Nobody wants a parking free-for-all where drivers can do what they like, but what we have at the moment is a situation where too many firms appear to be doing what they like.”

Parkingeye Ltd obtained the largest amount of information at 570,000 records. Smart Parking received the second most at 125,000 with Euro Car Parks in third place at 118,000.

A DVLA spokesman said: “We take our responsibility to protect information extremely seriously and we have robust safeguards in place to ensure data is used correctly.”