Dudley drivers fork out £1.2k a day in parking fines
Motorists are coughing up more than £1,200 a day in parking fines to a council in the Black Country.
New figures have revealed Dudley Council received £1.3m in fine payments over the past three years.
This has risen from £332,161 in 2014/15 to £473,595 in 2015/16 and £535,790 in 2016/17.
It is from 11,188 parking charge notices and fixed penalty notices in 2014/15, 15,159 in 2015/16 and 17,389 in 2016/17.
They also reveal the top 15 lucrative streets and car parks for parking fines over the three years.
Wolverhampton Street in Dudley came top with 820 tickets, bringing in £25,814 over the period.
High Street and Stone Street, both in Dudley, came second and third with 561 and 534 tickets handed out.
Fourth was Stourbridge High Street which saw 525 tickets given out.
Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for environmental services, said: "Parking restrictions are there for a reason - to keep our roads safe and traffic moving.
"Thankfully, the majority of motorists abide by the rules but unfortunately some people do not, and receive a fixed penalty notice.
"All money generated goes back into helping fund council services for the public."
The latest comes as it was revealed that nearly 4,000 parking fines were handed out in just three months in the Dudley borough last summer.
More than £82,000 was made from penalty notices between July and September as drivers were caught flouting the rules.
Castle Street in Dudley was revealed as the most likely place for motorists to be slapped with a ticket – with more handed out there than anywhere else during the period.
From the start of July until the end of September, a total of 3,796 fines were issued, bringing in a total of £82,225. The figures were released by Dudley Council under the Freedom of Information Act.
No excuses
And local authority bosses have warned that those who continued to break the rules would be made to pay for it – with traffic wardens out in force in Castle Street.
Senior councillor Paul Brothwood insisted that drivers had no excuse for trying to dodge parking restrictions.
The Dudley UKIP group leader said: “With the introduction of free parking across the borough I am hoping there is less chance of people getting tickets.
“We want people in our town centres, there is plenty of free parking available.
“As long as people are parking legally, they shouldn’t be concerned.”
He added: “Compared to other councils our revenue from parking fines is relatively small. Illegal parking creates an inconvenience for businesses.
“There are no excuses. There are plenty of parking spaces.”
