Top five parking fine hotspots revealed for Wolverhampton, Walsall and Dudley

Three local authorities made around £1 million each from penalty charges over the last two years.

The most fines were handed out in Walsall - a whopping 23,181 over the last 12 months, averaging 63 every day.

In Wolverhampton, the figure was slightly lower at 20,999, which is 57 a day on average.

A total of 15,274 notices were slapped on windscreens in Dudley, the equivalent of 41 a day.

Cash for councils

The figures have been released following a Freedom of Information request from the Express & Star.

The fines raked in hundreds of thousands of pounds for the three authorities.

Over the last two years, Walsall Council made £1.1 million, while in Dudley it was £933,000.

Wolverhampton Council said it could not provide a total but even if all fines were paid at the lowest rate of £25 it would have brought in £1.025m.

The true figure could be much higher, although some fines may not have been paid.

Sandwell Council has yet to respond to the request for information.

Penalty charge notices can also be given for reasons other than parking offences, including driving through bus lanes and box junctions.

The Black Country's parking fine hotspots have also been revealed.

In Walsall, by far the most amount of penalty notices were handed out in Bridge Street. The total of 3,168 between June 2017 and May 2019 was almost double second-placed Lichfield Street on 1,783.

The most likely spot to get a ticket in Wolverhampton is Cleveland Street, where 1,433 were handed out over the same period. Thornley Street, Wulfruna Street and Waterloo Road were close behind on 1,321, 1,310 and 1,259 respectively.

Castle Street in Dudley is where most fines were issued in the borough, with 2,203, followed by High Street, Dudley, with 1,679.

It comes after research showed councils across the UK had pocketed £326m from fines during 2018.

'Keeping roads safe and flowing'

Council chiefs in Wolverhampton and Dudley say it is their duty to ensure the roads are safe and traffic is kept flowing as they warned drives who flout the rules can expect to receive penalties.

Councillor Steve Evans, Wolverhampton Council's cabinet member for environment, said: “As a council, we have a statutory duty to keep the roads safe and as free flowing as possible which is why certain areas are restricted.

“We take this responsibility very seriously and it is sometimes necessary to issue penalty charge notices to those who park in a dangerous or inconsiderate manner.

“The numbers quoted equate to around 50 tickets a day and with a highway network of around 500 miles this is not unreasonable. There are plenty of parking spaces across the city and there is no excuse for this behaviour.”

Councillor Karen Shakespeare, roads boss at Dudley Council, said: “Parking restrictions are in place for a reason, not only do they help keep our roads safe but they ensure traffic is free flowing. Unfortunately when drivers choose to ignore these restrictions, we have to take action and issue a fine.

“As ever, we’d encourage people to avoid a fine by ensuring they park appropriately and where possible make the most of free two-hour parking on car parks in our town centres, where on-street parking is often in high demand.”

In Dudley, it was also revealed how many people had been caught out by a roving spy car. A total of 361 fines were handed out through use of the CCTV car over the last 12 months – almost one a day.

The car has been used as part of a crackdown on illegal and inconsiderate parking, particularly around schools in the borough where there has been frustration over the actions of some parents.

The bright yellow notice on the windscreen is something all drivers dread but the traffic wardens say their message is clear - those who don't follow the rules can expect to be fined.