WARRINGTON Borough Council earned nearly half-a-million pounds in 2019 through the issuing of parking fines.

Parking tickets and fines are just one source of income for councils across the country.

The figures were released as a result of a Freedom of Information request, and show that the number of fines issued in 2021 were almost 30 per cent fewer than those issued in 2019.

In 2019, the council reported an income of £453,447 from the issuing of 14,393 parking charges - meaning each ticket carried an average penalty of £31.50.

The council reported that more than £14,000 remains outstanding from fines issued in 2019.

In 2020, income from parking tickets was almost halved from 2019, with the council receiving £282,910 in penalties - nearly £100,000 remains outstanding from 2020.

However, the council reported that nearly £150,000 of fines have yet to be paid from 2021, with more than 10,000 penalties dished out to residents.

Despite saying how much money is owed in fines, Warrington Borough Council was unable to reportthe exact number of penalty charges that are outstanding.

Danielle Boxall, Media Campaign Manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 

"Already over-taxed motorists will be furious at these figures.

"Parking fines are clearly a lucrative source of income for Warrington, but taxpayers haven’t seen their council tax fall.

"Councils are right to penalise those who deliberately don't pay, but they mustn't treat drivers as cash cows."