Drivers forked out a whopping £95,210 in a year for on-street parking offences in South Holland.
The figure for 2014/15 represents an increase of more than a third on the previous year’s revenue for Lincolnshire County Council.
The highest number of offences was, unsurprisingly, in the district’s largest town – Spalding – where 3,004 parking charge notices (PCN) were dished out.
The total for South Holland was 3,185.
Spalding’s Sheep Market was the busiest patch with civil parking enforcement officers issuing 733 PCNs.
Charlie Rawlings, owner of real ale bar The Prior’s Oven, wants to see change.
He said: “I think that the current parking restrictions are prohibitive to commerce.
“I agree that people shouldn’t be able to park all day but let’s have a traffic warden serving the district, moving people on and being a ‘civil’ servant.”
Spalding resident Nick Keeble was one of a minority who successfully appealed a fine. He was ticketed after being waylaid on the way back to his car after helping an elderly lady who had suffered a fall in Hall Place.
His first appeal failed but the PCN was quashed after a police inspector supported his version of events.
Mr Keeble shares the view that the current free parking allowance is insufficient.
He said: “I think it should be a longer. You can’t get much done in an hour.”
The council says revenue from PCNs is not profit. For instance in 2013/14, penalty charge receipts across the county were £1,042,000 but after costs the surplus was £156,000.
- PCNs issued in 2014/15: Cowbit 0; Crowland 4; Donington 1; Fleet 1; Gosberton 2; Holbeach 151; Long Sutton 21; Moulton 0; Pinchbeck 0; Spalding 3,004; Sutton Bridge 1; Whaplode 0.
- Appeals submitted: 441 (184 accepted)
- Top ten streets for PCNs issued (all Spalding): 1 Sheep Market 733; 2 Broad Street 384; 3 Swan Street 307; 4 New Road 274; 5 Double Street 259; 6 Victoria Street 175; 7 Priory Road 175; 8 The Crescent 162; 9 Westlode Street 110; 10 Red Lion Street 102.
