WILTSHIRE Council issued more than 24,000 parking fines in 2021, new figures reveal. 

A total of 24,168 tickets brought in a total of £795,044 for the local authority. 

£777,153 off this was for on-street parking - the remaining £17,891 was for off-street. 

It comes as a study shows that more than 5.2 million penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued across Britain last year. 

£254.9 million worth of fines were issued to motorists, the equivalent of £55,500 every day

Manchester issued the greatest number of PCNs in 2021, handing out 341,000 tickets

But Westminster took the top spot in value of PCNs, with motorists paying £32.3 million last year alone.

Nearly two million PCNs were issued in London last year, meaning the capital accounted for over a third (37 per cent) of all PCNs in 2021.

This was followed by the South East (18 per cent), the North West (13 per cent) and the East Midlands (seven per cent).

On a local authority level, Manchester handed out the greatest number of PCNs for parking in 2021. Manchester issued over 341,000 PCNs, a rise of 74,000 (27 per cent) compared to 2020, followed by Westminster (274,000) and Kensington and Chelsea (153,000).

The other non-London local authorities in the top 10 were Nottingham which issued 145,000, Brighton and Hove (136,000) and Winchester (130,000).

The figures were revealed by Churchill Motor Insurance, through freedom of information requests submitted to local councils. 

The rise in PCNs issued across Britain comes as local councils expand the number of roads that have parking restrictions in place.

Overall, 63 per cent of councils increased the number of roads with parking restrictions, meaning 80,200 roads across Britain now have some level of restriction in place, 1,200 more than in 2020. 

Nearly a third (29 per cent) of councils also implemented new resident parking permit controls in 2021.

Nicholas Mantel, Head of Churchill Motor Insurance, said: “Parking is one of the most stressful aspects of driving, especially for families, who are often stretched for time and who don’t want their car too far from their ultimate destination.  

"It is becoming increasingly difficult for motorists in towns and cities across Britain to find spots to park, especially for free, as local authorities seek to reduce congestion and put ever more controls in place.

“Nearly two thirds of councils have brought in new rules recently, meaning there are many roads with restrictions in place that didn’t have them in 2020. The last thing drivers need is to come back to a fine, so it’s vital to double check the parking signs before leaving your car.”