Areas in South of England more likely to get parking fines than almost anywhere else in UK

A fixed penalty notice.
A study by Claims.co.uk, analysed Penalty Charge Notice data from 2020 to 2021, to find the areas hardest hit with motoring fines. Credit: PA

Drivers in the South of England are more likely to get a parking fine than almost anywhere else in the country.

Brighton and Hove placed at number two in a study by Claims.co.uk, analysing Penalty Charge Notice data from 2020 to 2021, to find the areas hardest hit with motoring fines.

The city saw fines issued at a rate of 98,583 per 100,000 people – 893.62% higher than the national average of 9,922 per 100,000 people.

Throughout the timeframe, 286,280 PCNs were issued with only 878 being appealed and 631 being successful.

Third on the list is Reading, with a PCN issuance rate of 76,593 per 100,000 people.

Reading Borough Council dealt with 132,636 fines during the analysed period relative to its population of 173,170 residents.

The top 10 locations with the highest rate of PCNs being issued:

1. Manchester City Council

2. Brighton & Hove City Council

3. Reading Borough Council

4. Cambridgeshire County Council

5. Nottingham City Council

6. Bristol City Council

7. Cardiff County Council

8. Slough Borough Council

9. Portsmouth City Council

10. Derby City Council

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Manchester takes first place, with 99,348 Penalty Charge Notices issued per 100,000 people.

Hyndburn in Lancashire saw just 46 fines issued, which works out to a rate of just 56 fines per 100,000 people - making it the UK area least likely to be hit with a PCN.

Carmarthenshire, Wales, had the highest successful appeal rate of any UK area.

A spokesperson for Claims.co.uk said: "The findings from the study on Penalty Charge Notices in the UK reveal a diverse picture across regions.

"The data suggests a noteworthy trend where more rural locations tend to register comparatively lower numbers, potentially due to the lack of need for parking enforcement infrastructure."

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