Parking charges soar ten-fold as drivers forced to criminality

Motorists have been hit by 10-fold increases in parking charges in parts of the country - at a time when fines have also soared to record levels.

Research commissioned by motor insurer Direct Line found average charges jumped 40 per cent from 86p for two hours in 2000 to £1.21.

But in some areas the rises were even bigger with prices rising from 10pence for two hours to £1.08 in parts of Hertfordshire - an increase of more than 1,000 per cent.

The survey found a quarter of car-owners said the extortionately high prices were forcing them to "knowingly park illegally".

Almost six million motorists received parking tickets in the past two years as drivers attempt to avoid the car park fee hikes.

One in six (17 per cent) of Britain's 33.8 million drivers were penalised as parking charges surged and councils cashed in on new powers to fine offending vehicles.

Motorists in Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, were hit by the highest price rise from 10p for two hours in 2000 to £1.08 last year.

They were followed by drivers in the leafy upmarket Northumbrian dormitory village of Ponteland near Newcastle - home of former England striker Alan Shearer - where the price for parking for two hours has risen from 20p to £2.00 for two hours.

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Drivers in St Mary's Bay in Kent have seen charge rise from 17p to £1.60 for two hours, with stockbroker belt Gerrards Cross residents enduring rises from 30p to £2.49 for two hours.

Even Prince Charles's hometown of Tetbury in Gloucestershire has seen parking charges soar from 30p to £1.46.

The most expensive place overall in the UK to park is Westminster in London - with an average £7.99 on for two hours – though fees in the capital can be as high as £10 an hour.

Westminster was followed by Islington (£7.32 an hour) and Heathrow Airport (£7.02 an hour).

But even outside the capital - and still among the top 20 worst offenders - tourists to the Lake District should watch out for charges of £3.84 for hours at Bowness on Windermere, while Manchester hits £3.68, Chester £3.49, Cardiff and Leeds £3.35, Birmingham£3.27, Reading £3.20 and Darlington £3.00.

The Direct Line Research showed that, nationally, drivers pay an average of £10.27 a month at car parks – equivalent to £123.24 a year and £4.2 billion in total across the country.

The report revealed that 5.7 million motorists have been fined an average of £74 since the beginning of 2005.

And it said councils coined in £425 million as penalties of up to £120 were doled out by traffic wardens.

More than one in five – 22 per cent – said lack of spaces forces them to park illegally and risk a fine.

Half say they steer clear of expensive car parks on principle against "extortionate" car park charges. About 1 in 8 (13 per cent) claim they cannot afford to pay exorbitant rates.

Councils are also under fire for actively removing car parking spaces in a bid to deter families from driving into town centres.

Direct Line's Emma Holyer said: "Parking is a bone of contention for most drivers. It is an absolute nightmare in some places.

"A lot of councils employ private parking companies who are simply in it to make money."

Miss Holyer added: "Our research shows that rocketing costs and limited spaces are forcing drivers to break the law. It is outrageous. There are less and less parking spaces and more and more charges."

The figures follow a recent report that showed the number of fines quadrupled in five years as more councils took over responsibility for parking enforcement from the police – up to 139 authorities in 2005.

Three-quarters of the 2,468 adults questioned by YouGov for the new survey insisted there are not sufficient parking spaces for the UK's 33.3 million vehicles – including 26.5 million cars.

Paul Watters of the AA said: "Motorists are being milked by councils as cash-cows. This has increased dramatically as councils have been given powers to run privatised wardens and keep the cash. It's win-win for councils who set high paring charges and then send out a parking attendant around every corner.

"But motorists would be mad to try and avoid high parking charges by parking illegally."