Cannock drivers hit by 19pc rise in tickets for parking

Drivers in Cannock Chase were hit with a 19 per cent rise in parking tickets in the last year – despite an enforcement officer being axed.

The remaining four officers netted £181,097 in fines in the 12 months to April, handing out 7,178 tickets – 1,131 more than the previous year.

Around a fifth of tickets were cancelled following appeals – down slightly from 2010-11.

On-street penalties made up the majority of tickets at 4,141 while there were 3,037 fines for breaches at off-street car parks.

And two attacks on parking officers were reported to police and investigated, a report to Staffordshire County Council's joint parking committee says.

District council bosses said irresponsible parking was a concern repeatedly reported by residents.

Despite the increase in tickets, they added, the service continued to operate at a loss and was subsidised by the county council.

Under a pilot scheme, officers have been targeting parking hotspots at the request of residents and patrolling schools to crack down on parents ignoring yellow zig-zag lines.

The report states: "The pilot scheme has been well received, and it is planned to carry out more similar projects over the next 12 months."