Drivers caught out by private parking rules as operators issued 48,000 tickets daily

With some fines reaching £100, experts have warned that drivers could be paying out as much as £4.8million a day in total.

The data comes from DVLA records, which parking firms access when they want to chase vehicle owners over alleged rule breaches. ParkingEye was the most active, requesting 619,000 records.

These incidents often take place in private car parks at shopping centres, leisure sites and motorway services. Motoring groups have now warned that the scale of ticketing is a major concern. The RAC said the figures suggest there may be deeper problems with how the system works.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC, said drivers are already under pressure from rising costs. "With fuel prices through the roof, the last thing anyone wants to receive is a parking charge notice," he said.

He also questioned whether so many people are deliberately breaking the rules. "While there will always be some drivers who choose to disregard legitimate rules and regulations, you have to ask whether such vast numbers of people are purposefully setting out to run up big bills or whether something is awry with the system," Mr Gooding added.

Critics of the industry warned that some private firms use confusing signs, harsh debt-collection tactics, and high penalties to catch drivers out.

Attempts to bring in tighter rules have been delayed several times. Back in March 2019, legislation was approved to introduce a new Code of Practice for private parking firms, with the plan to roll it out across the UK by the end of 2023.

Under those proposals, most fines would have been cut from £100 to £50. There were also plans for a fairer appeals system and a ban on threatening language in letters sent to drivers.

However, those reforms were scrapped in June 2022 after parking companies launched a legal challenge against them.

Mr Gooding said progress since then has been dwindling. "Successive ministers have accepted the need for a new private parking framework to provide better, clearer protections for drivers and landowners, but progress has been painfully slow," he said.

The Government has now restarted efforts to fix the system. A new consultation on the Code of Practice ended in September 2025, with ministers stating that fresh rules are on the way.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "Motorists must be protected when using private car parks and we are determined to drive up standards in the industry.

"That's why we plan to introduce a code of practice to Parliament this autumn to help fix the problems drivers are facing."

But Mr Gooding said the rising cost of living and wider economic uncertainties could push the Government to act more quickly.

"Perhaps the additional pressure from sky-high fuel prices will be the prompt needed to get the much-needed regulatory framework in place," he said.

The parking industry, however, insisted it plays an important role. Isaac Occhipinti, from the British Parking Association, explained that statistics show that the overwhelming majority of motorists follow the rules and pay their way.

He added: "Effective parking management is essential to keeping towns and cities moving and ensuring people can access shops, hospitals, transport hubs and other vital services safely and conveniently."

The figures also revealed the scale of the industry, with the final three months of last year alone showing how 195 parking firms asked the DVLA for vehicle keeper details.