MORE than 1,000 parking tickets were handed out in Maldon in the first half of 2022, new figures reveal.

Figures obtained by Churchill Motor Insurance through freedom of information requests show 1,055 penalty charge notices were handed out by Maldon District Council in the six months to June 2022 – an average of six a day.

That was up from five per day across the whole of 2021, although seasonal variations and coronavirus lockdowns may have contributed.

Penalty charge notices are issued when drivers break parking regulations, such as by parking on double or single yellow lines.

The figures show Maldon District Council brought in £37,448 in the first half of 2022 from penalty charge notices – £208 a day.

This was a rise from £173 a day across the whole of 2021.

The figures show £166,244 was collected by the council from parking tickets from the start of 2020 to June 2022.

Churchill Motor Insurance boss Nicholas Mantel said: “Motorists across Britain are regularly being caught out by increased and sometimes complicated parking restrictions.

“We would encourage drivers to always check parking signs carefully to ensure they avoid any expensive fines.

“If motorists do receive a parking fine, they have 28 days to pay it or appeal to an independent tribunal.”

The RAC Foundation, a charity for motorists, said parking rules are there for a reason, but added "over-enthusiastic parking enforcement" may also be playing a role in the rise across the UK.

Director Steve Gooding said: “Whichever way they turn and wherever they decide to stop, on-street and off-street, drivers are faced with the threat of parking sanctions.

“Between the 20,000 tickets issued by councils daily and the 30,000 dished out by private parking companies, motorists are seemingly facing a positive flurry of fines and charges – around one every two seconds.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association, which represent councils in England and Wales, said: “Income raised through on-street parking charges and parking fines is spent on running parking services.

"Any surplus is spent on essential transport projects, including fixing the £11 billion road repairs backlog, reducing congestion, tackling poor air quality and supporting local bus services.”