THE drivers that should be most the most cautious parkers in England have been revealed.

New research has revealed the areas in the country that the most parking fines are issued.

A Freedom of Information request found that East Sussex County Council have handed out the fourth highest number of tickets with, 28,379 issued so far in 2021.

In first place came Durham Council with 41,591, followed by Buckinghamshire, with 32,372 tickets.

North Yorkshire County Council dished out 32,256, making them third.

And following East Sussex is Oxfordshire which has given a total of 26,802 fines since January.

At the other end of the scale, Somerset Council has handed out the fewest tickets so far this year, with 10,191, about a quarter of the number seen in Durham.

It was followed by Staffordshire County Council, with 10,427, Derbyshire, with 11,602, Shropshire Council, with 12,324, and Herefordshire Council, with 12,367.

Looking at the data, there doesn’t appear to be too much consistency within regions, with the highest and least number of fines spread across the north and south of the country, with a combination of more rural and urban areas too.

Peter Brabin, head of training at Bill Plant Driving School, which conducted the research, said: “It may be that Durham just has a lot more traffic wardens than most other areas.

“Despite this possibility, there’s still quite a big jump between the amount of tickets handed out in Somerset, for example, compared to the number handed out in Durham.

“Ultimately, the fault lies with the motorist. It’s their job to ensure they have parked legally, whether that’s on a free-to-park area of the road, in a car park or otherwise.

“It’s never nice to return to your vehicle and find a parking ticket, but most councils will allow you to pay a reduced rate if you pay within a short window of time. If you can’t pay the fine, don’t do the crime.”

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