The best and worst places to get off a parking fine revealed

  • Travel

The likelihood of getting off a parking fine depends on which area drivers get a ticket, a new study has revealed.

Some councils accept 95% of challenges to on-street parking fines while others approve just one in 10, according to figures released through Freedom of Information requests.

The study found huge variations between councils, with Runnymede, Surrey, accepting just 9% of all applications, while Basingstoke and Deane, Hampshire - just 30 miles away - approved 95%.

Double yellow lines and speed limits could soon be introduced in Paignton which restrict residents from parking outside their homes Credit: PA

Guy Anker, managing director of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: "We hear so many stories from motorists who are victims of overzealous parking wardens.

"Often the real problem is really poor, terrible signing. People are often completely bamboozled, can I park here or can I not?

"I would encourage everyone who feels they are being harshly treated by their council to make an appeal to the independent arbitrator."

The five councils which accepted the fewest challenges:

  • Runnymede - 93 challenges out of 1,011 (9.2%)

  • Staffordshire - 478 challenges out of 4,606 (10.4%)

  • Sefton - 650 challenges out of 4,832 (13.5%)

  • Peterborough - 410 challenges out of 2,784 (14.7%)

  • Greenwich - 1,018 challenges out of 5,909 (17.2%)

The five councils which accepted the most challenges:

  • Basingstoke and Deane - 540 challenges out of 566 (95.4%)

  • Waveney - 164 challenges out of 226 (72.6%)

  • South Tyneside - 1,474 challenges out of 2,074 (71.1%)

  • Swale - 3,342 challenges out of 4,721 (70.8%)

  • Mole Valley - 144 out of 224 challenges (64.3%)

A file photo of a penalty charge notice on a car windscreen. Credit: PA

Regional variations was particularly noticeable in Berkshire, with drivers in Slough (23%) nearly three times as likely to have their fine cancelled than in Bracknell Forest (64%) - a 30 minute drive away.

However drivers in Medway, Kent, drivers were half as likely to have their fine annulled (32%), than in neighbouring Swale (71%).

A spokeswoman for Runnymede Council said: "The statistics provided relate to street matters only which often refer to yellow lines and dropped kerbs.

"This therefore means there aren't very often cases which are open to much ambiguity.

"We use our own staff to carry out enforcement, who are experienced and well trained in the role and therefore only issue notices where necessary."

Basingstoke and Deane councillor Simon Bound said: "We take a pragmatic approach to enforcement which means that we see a very low number of formal appeals and we will consider each case carefully, taking into account individual circumstances.

"Parking enforcement is a means of educating, not punishing motorists. Our priority is ensuring that motorists park correctly and safely and that they continue to do so in the future."