This street is Mid Sussex’s top spot for parking charges as figures show council raked in £359,000 last year

According to data compiled by ComparetheMarket, London Road in East Grinstead is the area with the most parking charges.

Mid Sussex District Council issued 10,541 fines from August 2019 to July 2020, some way below the average of nearly 23,000 across more than 200 local authorities.

The council raked in £349,009.24 from the fines, slapping people with an average fine of £33.11, the data show.

But this is below the average parking fine of £37 across the UK. The research shows that councils are charging more than £850,000 in parking fines a year on average.

Dan Hutson, head of motor at comparethemarket.com said: “Parking fine revenues are a cash cow for many local authorities. Up and down the country drivers are regularly being caught out by tight parking restrictions. With the third lockdown now in place, we would encourage drivers to take extra care and attention when parking up their car to ensure they avoid a parking fine.”

Councillor Stephen Hillier, cabinet member for economic growth at Mid Sussex District Council said: “Mid Sussex is a predominantly rural area with relatively few parking restrictions, and as a result we issue fewer parking fines than some of the more urban local authority areas.

“Parking enforcement is vital to ensure public safety and the free movement of traffic, especially for the emergency services. Our parking staff perform this important job admirably, enforcing parking regulations in a fair and even manner.

“Funds raised by parking fines help to maintain and improve the West Sussex highways and more than 30 car parks around the district, for the benefit of local residents and visitors to Mid Sussex.”

For more see https://www.comparethemarket.com/car-insurance/content/parking-fine-capitals/