Drivers 'pay millions' in parking charges
Date: 23/04/2008 12:00:00
UK motorists are shelling out millions in parking charges every year, new research has revealed.
According to figures from the AA, a collective £1.2 billion is paid into parking meters and pay-and-display machines every year.
Westminster sees the biggest amount of money being paid for parking, at £33.3 million a year, followed by Leeds and Newcastle, the statistics show.
Commenting on the results, Hugh Bladen, founder of the Association of British Drivers, accused local councils of cheating motorists out of large sums of money.
"These charges are making it more difficult for people to park their cars and so they are less likely to go into towns and cities," he warned.
New parking rules were introduced by the Department for Transport at the end of March. The regulations require councils to make their parking policies clear to drivers and to ensure parking attendants collect clear evidence of any rules being broken before issuing a penalty charge.