Council issues £1.25 million parking fines

The fixed penalty notices have generated £1.25 million for council coffers over the past three years, with the figure rising sharply year-on-year.

The figures, obtained by the Liberal Democrats under the Freedom of Information Act, also showed that almost a fifth of the fines issued during the last financial year were overturned on appeal.

High Street in Bridgnorth was the place where the biggest number of fines was issued, with 2,037 tickets dished out from 2014 to 2017.

St Mary's Place in Shrewsbury was next on the list, with 1,454 motorists being fined over the same period.

Shrewsbury High Street and the Listley Street car park in Bridgnorth saw 1,082 and 1,026 fines respectively, while in St Mary's Street, Shrewsbury the figure was 949, and in the town's Shoplatch it was 876.

Ludlow's hotspots were the Castle Street car park, where 752 drivers were fined, and Mill Street where 716 were given tickets.

In Oswestry, it was Willow Street that saw the most fines issued, with 623 tickets given out.

In the 2016/17 financial year, Shropshire Council issued 15,404 tickets, a 46 per cent increase on 2014/15.

The amount raised from the fines also rose significantly, from £354,728 in 2014/15 to £475,884 last year.

Liberal Democrat spokesman Paul Butters said the figures were scandalous, and accused the council of treating parking enforcement like a game of Monopoly.

"I think they’re scamming people," he said.

"This data shows this is happening to people every single day.

"This isn't a game of Monopoly, it just looks like another way to take ever more cash from hard working people.

“They have made nearly half a million a year from our streets, they are treating drivers like cash cows.

“A lot of people have made the same mistake. The council needs to make this a lot clearer. It shouldn’t be about making money for them, it should be about controlling parking and managing highway safety."