These UK streets have raked-in thousand from parking fines - with the most prolific location netting the local council a whopping £1.2 million in just a year.
Wherever you leave your vehicle in public - whether it's on a street, parking bay or dedicated car park - you risk a ticket being slapped on your windscreen if you contravene the rules. That goes for council parking spaces as well as privately-owned ones.
And to get some revealing insight into some of the UK's most prolific streets when it comes to parking fines, our research team go to work.
We focused specifically on parking penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued by local authorities for on-street parking, with the fines themselves dished-out by 'civil enforcement officers' - aka, council traffic wardens.
You might have overstayed your time limit, accidentally parked in a permit zone, or even ditched your car or van on a double yellow line. If caught you can expect a fine of up to £70, depending on the offence and on the council - though that fee can be halved if you pay within 14 days of receiving the ticket.
We sent a Freedom of Information request to all UK local authorities. Our target was to find the worst-hit street in each major town or city, in each county.
Our parking fines stats run from between June 2023 and June 2024.
In some cases, the council couldn't tell us the overall cash total of the fines paid - but they could tell us how many PCNs had been issued. In these cases we've estimated a max fee of £70 for each PCN ticket.
Top Ten Most Ticketed Streets by Revenue
At the top of our list is Queensway in Westminster, with 9,834 PCNs handed out between 2023 and 2024 and amounting to more than £1.2 million in parking fines.
Located in central London, Queensway has a range of shops and restaurants with single-direction traffic and a series of loading bays, making it easy for motorists to be caught out by parking restrictions.
The street with the second highest number of parking PCNs is Alum Rock Road in Birmingham, the street saw 6,651 tickets and £465,000 in fines over the 12-month period. Sitting in the middle of a bustling shopping district, the road is renowned as one of the trickiest streets in the UK to find somewhere to park.
The third street with the highest number of PCNs is Mansfield Road, Oxford, with 4,873 tickets being handed out. While the council hasn’t provided exact details on how much this could cost motorists – this could be as much as £341,000 based on the maximum PCN fine of £70. Located in the middle of the University of Oxford campus, this street is a prime parking spot for students. Although, with the cost of parking increasing across many streets in central Oxford this could lead to an increase of drivers risking PCN’s.
In fourth place is Wellington Street, Glasgow, with 3,731 PCNs and an estimated £261,000 in fines – if every PCN was charged at £70. Located in the centre of the city, Wellington Street is prime for parking due to its proximity to office spaces, shopping areas and transport links.
In fifth is Duke Street, Liverpool with 3,727 PCN’s, just four fewer than Wellington Street in Glasgow, this resulted in £231,000 worth of fines.
Conclusion
Contravening parking rules leads to fines - but also sometimes frustration for those who might be inconvenienced by how you've left your vehicle.
Whether it's due to limited spaces, confusing signage, or heavy traffic, the streets on this list show that careful attention is needed when parking in busy areas. As cities become more crowded and traffic regulations stricter, drivers should take extra care when parking to avoid costly penalties - and to avoid irritating other road users.
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