Park at your peril
Where in the UK are you most likely to fined for parking?
Being issued a parking fine is usually an unwelcome surprise accompanied by unexpected costs.
It’s easy to be caught off-guard by parking restrictions, especially when you consider that 45% of new drivers are not even aware of parking charges prior to owning a car.
Uswitch car insurance has identified the areas of the UK where the most parking fines are issued.
Going loco
Local UK councils have the authority to issue Penalty Charge Notices (PNC) for a variety of offences, both on-street and off-street.
A PCN rated ‘higher’, for offences such as parking in a restricted street during prescribed hours, costs £130 (reduced to £65 if paid within 14 days).
Meanwhile, a PCN rated ‘lower’, for offences such as parking after the expiry of paid-for time, costs £80 (reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days).
Across all UK councils, the average of 46,662 PCNs were issued in 2023.
However, in the top ticketing council it was close to 260,00!
Top 5 ticketing councils in 2023
Council |
Population Size |
Authority Type |
No. of PCNs issued |
London Borough of Newham |
358,645 |
London Borough |
257,788 |
London Borough of Lewisham |
298,653 |
London Borough |
216,673 |
London Borough of Islington |
220,373 |
London Borough |
190,918 |
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea |
146,154 |
London Borough |
184,684 |
Brighton and Hove City |
277,965 |
Unitary Authority |
160,162 |
Capital punishment
The top four UK councils that issued the most parking fines last year all operate in London boroughs, making London a prime spot for getting caught out.
Newham Council in North London issued the most parking fines at nearly 258,000. This is particularly significant given the population size is only 358,645. This equates to 72% of Neham’s population receiving a fine, if one was issued to each person.
The most common conviction in Newham was parking in a residents’ space without having or clearly displaying a valid permit (78,419). This was also the top conviction in Islington (73,204).
Urban warfare
Parking penalties tend to be more common in cities than suburban or rural areas because there’s less access and availability of private or free off road parking.
Only 29% of households in city/urban areas have access to off road parking, compared to 39% in suburbs and 55% in rural areas, according to government stats.
It’s also a criminal offence to park on the pavement in London, while no other area in England enforces this rule.
Top 5 tempered ticketing councils in 2023
Council |
Population Size |
Authority Type |
No. of PCNs issued |
Hart District Council (Hampshire) |
100,910 |
Non-metropolitan District |
3,070 |
Torfaen County Borough Council (Wales) |
92,860 |
Unitary Authority |
3,844 |
Eastleigh Borough Council (Hampshire) |
138,935 |
Non-metropolitan District |
4,026 |
St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council (Merseyside) |
184,728 |
Metropolitan District |
5,004 |
Flintshire County Council (Wales) |
155,319 |
Unitary Authority |
5,431 |
Having some heart
Hart District Council issued the fewest parking fines annually at only 3,070, almost 44,000 below the average.
All five councils that issued the fewest parking fines operate in more suburban areas. The top conviction types issued by these councils were specifically related to off-street pay and display parking rather than permits or road restrictions, highlighting the contrast between cities and suburbs.
The majority of PCNs issued by Hart Council were for parking without payment of the parking charge[5] (1,180) and the top conviction for both Eastleigh Council (1,970) and St Helens Council (1,818) was parking without a clear pay and display ticket.