NEWCASTLE is the parking fine capital of the North-East, issuing 162 a day and raking in nearly £1.9 million in revenue, according to new research.

The research, by Comparethemarket.com, shows that councils are charging more than £850,000 in parking fines a year on average, with some gathering more than 10 times that amount.

Newcastle Council is one of the top ten local authorities for parking fines outside of London, coming in sixth overall. 

The city's 59,013 parking fines brought in £1,880,249 from August 2019 to July 2020, averaging £31.86 per fine and 162 fines per day. 

Drivers were most likely to be caught out at Dean Street Multi Story, which is the location with the highest number of parking fines. 

A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: “There are a number of reasons why average payment amounts for parking penalty notices differs between councils.

“These could include more motorists paying a penalty charge notice (PCN) at the discounted rate, more lower value PCNs being issued or more PCNs being cancelled. It could also be that more people have failed to pay a PCN, resulting in the matter still being outstanding.

“It is important that we have effective parking enforcement in place to manage demand for parking spaces. Anyone who receives a PCN does have the right to appeal against this and we would encourage anyone who feels a PCN has been issued incorrectly to submit an appeal.”

In comparison, Durham County Council handed out fewer fines but has a higher average cost.

There were 21,642 Penalty Charge Notices handed out, averaging at 59 a day at £57.93. In total, Durham Council made £1,253,680 from parking fines.

County Durham comes in the top three for most costly parking tickets under London Borough of Haringey and Gosport Borough Council with average fines of £72.04 and £66.25.

Durham Council said its fines are higher than other areas because it prioritises the most serious parking offences.

Dave Wafer, interim head of transport and contract services at Durham County Council, said: “Similar to local authorities across the country, the rate of parking fine we issue depends on the severity of the offence.

"In County Durham, the fine for the most serious parking offences is £70, reduced to £35 if paid within two weeks. For less serious offences, we issue fines of £50, reduced to £25 if paid within two weeks.

“When we deploy our enforcement staff, we deliberately prioritise the most serious parking offences, such as those that compromise road safety and the misuse of bays designated for residents, businesses and people with disabilities. This is because these offences are more likely to impact on people’s lives. It is also why our average fine is higher than in some other areas.

“The money we raise through parking charges is used to maintain transport infrastructure across County Durham, including subsidising bus services and improving facilities for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists.”

While the spot where most fines in County Durham were handed out has not been revealed, many drivers in North Tyneside were caught out on Front Street, Tynemouth.

Stanley Terrace North Car Park, in Morpeth, was the most-fined location in Northumberland while High Street West, in Sunderland, Pierhead Car Park, South Shields, and The Front, Seaton Carew, took the title for their local authority areas.

Nine of the 10 local authorities taking in the most cash from parking fines are in Greater London, with each council collecting more than £4 million in revenue in fines each year.

Outside of London, the City of Glasgow and Birmingham City Council were the local authorities most likely to issue a ticket.

The average parking fine issued by councils across the UK is £37, rising to £41 on average in the 20 local authorities that made the most revenue from parking fines.

Here's the situation in the North-East:

Newcastle upon Tyne City Council

National rank: 6

Number of Penalty Charge Notices: 59,013

Revenue: £1,880,249

Average fine issued: £31.86

Average number of fines per day: 162

Location with highest number of fines: Dean Street Multi Story

Durham County Council

National rank: 13

Number of Penalty Charge Notices: 21,642

Revenue: £1,253,680

Average fine issued: £57.93

Average number of fines per day: 59

Location with highest number of fines: N/A

North Tyneside Council

National rank: 40

Number of Penalty Charge Notices: 18,292

Revenue: £681,719

Average fine issued: £37.27

Average number of fines per day: 50

Location with highest number of fines: Front Street, Tynemouth

Northumberland County Council

National rank: 53

Number of Penalty Charge Notices: 18,934

Revenue: £535,459

Average fine issued: £28.28

Average number of fines per day: 52

Location with highest number of fines: Stanley Terrace North Car Park, Morpeth

Sunderland City Council

National rank: 55

Number of Penalty Charge Notices: 15,015

Revenue: £509,073

Average fine issued: £33.9

Average number of fines per day: 41

Location with highest number of fines: High Street West

South Tyneside Council

National rank: 76

Number of Penalty Charge Notices: 7,274

Revenue: £303,015

Average fine issued: £41.66

Average number of fines per day: 20

Location with highest number of fines: Pierhead Car Park, South Shields

Hartlepool Borough Council

National rank: 133

Number of Penalty Charge Notices: 3,220

Revenue: £70,957

Average fine issued: £22.04

Average number of fines per day: 9

Location with highest number of fines: The Front, Seaton Care