Motorists have been hit with up to £5 billion in parking fines since ministers launched a failed crackdown on ‘cowboy’ firms, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Ruthless parking companies have enjoyed soaring profits in recent years amid mounting complaints over ‘exorbitant’ fines and aggressive tactics.
An MoS investigation reveals:
- Private firms have dished out £4.8 billion in fines since 2019 when Parliament passed a law that was supposed to rein them in;
- They are on course to slap a record 13 million fines on motorists this year – or 35,000 a day;
- Some parking companies have doubled their profits in a year;
- One motorist racked up £11,000 in fines at a car park because she was unable to pay for tickets due to poor internet coverage;
Private car parks are increasingly common, especially at hospitals, supermarkets and garages.
They can issue steeper fines of £100, compared to councils. A long-awaited code of practice was expected to be rolled out after legislation was passed five years ago.
Ruthless parking companies have enjoyed soaring profits in recent years amid mounting complaints over ‘exorbitant’ fines and aggressive tactics (stock image)
Tory MP Greg Knight, who introduced a private members’ bill which won Government support, highlighted ‘poor signage, unreasonable terms, exorbitant fines, aggressive demands for payment and an opaque appeals process’.
The code included halving caps on tickets for most breaches to £50, creating a fairer appeals system and banning aggressive language on tickets. But the Government withdrew it after challenges from parking firms.
Instead, those firms introduced their own ‘watered-down’ version – but still use debt collectors, legal threats and county court judgments, which appear on a driver’s credit file. There are also complaints about how difficult it is to contact the firms with queries.
The RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, said: ‘The delays sparked by parking companies and debt recovery firms challenging the code have meant thousands upon thousands have had to pay fines which were totally disproportionate.
‘And then there’s those that have had horrible threats of bailiffs and court actions. We badly need to bring an end to £100 parking charge notices and people being hounded.’
The RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, said: ‘The delays sparked by parking companies and debt recovery firms challenging the code have meant thousands upon thousands have had to pay fines which were totally disproportionate’
Private car parks are increasingly common, especially at hospitals, supermarkets and garages (stock image)
Hannah Robinson racked up fines totalling £11,000 since 2021 after using a car park in Darlington managed by Excel Parking. Drivers must buy a ticket within five minutes of entering but Ms Robinson told the BBC that poor internet connection means payments often do not go through on time.
Stanley Luckhurst, 86, received a £100 fine after parking in a bay for electric vehicles in Uxbridge last year. He had bought a £1.60 ticket but poor lighting meant he couldn’t see the signs. Despite telling Excel Parking he suffered from ‘chronic health conditions’, the firm pursued him in the county court for £255. He later successfully challenged the penalty.
Excel doubled its pre-tax profits last year, making £4 million. Owner Simon Renshaw-Smith and fellow director Alun Cockcroft have earned more than £1.8 million between them since 2019.
David MacBeth, 61, who lives near Inverness, spent weeks fighting a fine he received from Euro Car Parks after parking at a Morrisons in December. Despite his wife buying a ticket, debt collectors demanded £275. He told the MoS: ‘It’s completely unethical to go after you in this way.’
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Euro Car Parks has more than doubled its pre-tax profits in a year from £6.2 million in 2021 to £16.6 million in 2022. It is owned and run by London solicitor Barry Tucker and his wife Rita, both 69.
Steve Gooding, of the RAC Foundation, which collates the DVLA figures, said a new code is ‘long overdue’
Steve Gooding, of the RAC Foundation, which collates the DVLA figures, said a new code is ‘long overdue’.
He added: ‘Surely, it’s evidence enough that DVLA numbers suggest north of 45 million tickets have been issued to drivers leaving their vehicles on private land since the necessary powers made their way onto the statute book?’
Isaac Occhipinti of the British Parking Association said the code of practice operators introduced in June had brought consistency.
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said it was ‘determined to drive up standards’. Neither Euro nor Excel responded to requests for comment.
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