Drivers slapped with 15 million parking tickets this year prompting urgent regulatory changes

These figures were derived from records obtained from the DVLA by firms pursuing vehicle owners over alleged breaches at privately managed car parks, including those at retail centres, leisure venues and motorway services.

The surge has prompted renewed calls from motoring organisations for urgent reform of the private parking sector.

Simon Williams, the RAC's head of policy, warned the dramatic rise in ticketing demonstrates fundamental problems within the parking system.

"The rate of tickets being issued by the private parking industry has hit yet another record," Mr Williams said.

He added: "This is why we fear something must be going badly awry and why the outcome of the latest Private Parking Code of Practice consultation can't come soon enough. Drivers need to know they're being treated fairly whenever they use a private car park."

With individual penalties reaching as high as £100, motorists could collectively be paying nearly £4.4million every day at current rates.

Mr Williams noted between June and September, approximately 48,000 tickets were being issued daily, a figure he described as "ominously high" given that most drivers actively try to avoid receiving notices.

During the three months ending in September, 188 parking management firms sought vehicle owner details from the DVLA. ParkingEye emerged as the most prolific operator, purchasing 643,000 records during this period.

The DVLA levies a fee of £2.50 for each record supplied to private companies, with the agency stating this charge simply covers administrative costs rather than generating profit. In June 2024, trade bodies the British Parking Association and the International Parking Community introduced their own voluntary code of practice.

This industry-led framework established requirements for uniform signage, standardised rules for operators managing private land, and an appeals charter.

Motorists have levelled numerous accusations against private parking businesses, including the use of unclear and deceptive signage that leaves drivers confused about terms and conditions.

Many ticket recipients maintain they were penalised unfairly due to problems with how payment machines function at these sites.

The industry has also faced criticism over its approach to pursuing unpaid charges, with drivers complaining about aggressive debt collection tactics. Unreasonable fee structures represented another common grievance among those who have fallen foul of private parking enforcement.

These widespread concerns have intensified pressure on regulators to introduce meaningful oversight of an industry that critics argued operates with insufficient accountability.

The combination of confusing systems and harsh penalties has left many motorists feeling they have been treated unjustly. Efforts to regulate the sector have stalled despite years of discussion.

Parliament approved legislation in March 2019 to establish an official code of practice governing private parking operators. The proposed rules, originally scheduled for implementation by the close of 2023, would have reduced the maximum penalty for most parking infringements from £100 to £50.

The code also aimed to establish a more equitable appeals process for drivers disputing charges. However, the Conservative Government withdrew the measures in June 2022 after parking companies mounted a successful legal challenge against the proposals.

The collapse of these reforms has left motorists without the protections that were promised, while ticket numbers have continued to climb year on year. A consultation on a revised code of practice remains ongoing.