British drivers are facing a parking ticket deluge, with private companies on track to issue a record 14.5 million penalties this year, new analysis reveals.
The RAC’s study found that just five firms are responsible for nearly half of all tickets, highlighting the concentrated power within the private parking industry.
The research shows a surge in requests to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) by car park management companies.
In the six months leading up to September 2024, these requests reached 7.2 million, a 12 per cent increase compared to the same period the previous year. This equates to an average of 41,000 requests every day, or on average almost every two seconds.
If this trend continues, the RAC predicts a staggering 14.5 million tickets will be issued over the full year, setting a new record.
These private companies pursue vehicle owners for alleged parking violations in private car parks, including locations like shopping centres, leisure facilities, and motorway service areas.
Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total cost to drivers may be near £4.1 million per day at the current rate.
Private parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees.
An investigation by the PA news agency earlier this week found drivers across England say they are being sent tickets because of faulty machines, which one campaigner claiming the devices are “set up to trap people”.
A Bill to enable the introduction of a Government-backed code for private parking companies received royal assent under the Conservative government in March 2019.
The code was withdrawn in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “It’s very concerning that private parking firms are growing and on track to issue a record 14.5 million parking charge notices to drivers in the space of just 12 months.
“As drivers don’t generally set out to break the rules, we fear many are being treated unfairly by private parking companies that are still operating without Government scrutiny.”
A survey in August last year, commissioned by the RA,C indicated four out of five drivers are frustrated the Government-backed code of practice is still not in force.
Mr Williams said the Government is “committed to getting the official code across the line” but warned “this needs to happen as quickly as possible” given the rate the number of parking tickets being issued is rising.
The five companies which issued 45 per cent of tickets between April and September last year were ParkingEye (1,129,000), Euro Car Parks (892,000), Horizon Parking (440,000), Smart Parking (424,000) and APCOA Parking (367,000).
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.
British Parking Association chief policy and engagement officer Alison Tooze said the daily rate of 41,000 tickets “may seem like a large number in isolation” but insisted “this should be understood in context”.
She went on: “Of those who enter a private car park in the UK, only 0.3 per cent receive a parking charge.
“This has held steady for many years, meaning 99.7 per cent of people park with no issue.
“This demonstrates that the increase in number of charges overall over time relates to more car parks under management rather than a higher probability of receiving a parking charge.
“If landowners weren’t finding an increasing need to get parking on their land under control, there would be far less demand for operators.
“The reason there is demand is simply that a problematic percentage of people do not park considerately and choose to ignore the terms the landowner sets for parking on their land.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Motorists must be protected when using private car parks, and we are determined to drive up standards in the industry.
“We know how much of an issue this is for drivers, which is why we will set out further details on the private parking code of practice as soon as possible.”
Source: independent.co.uk
